


Masterpiece

by EvilQueenRegina2015



Series: Masterpiece universe [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Dream Sex, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Magic Cock, Pregnancy, Smut, Unplanned Pregnancy, Unplanned Sex, dream realm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2019-11-12 13:27:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 66,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18011771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvilQueenRegina2015/pseuds/EvilQueenRegina2015
Summary: “It would be a masterpiece, you know?”“What?” Regina breathed, her back tense as she forced herself to stay where she was.Emma cleared her throat. “A baby between us would’ve been a masterpiece if it had been possible.”Regina did turn around then and stared at Emma, her own face hot as the blush crept on her face.“Of course.” She choked out before she swallowed and smirked at the blonde. “Have you seen us?”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [oceansregina](https://archiveofourown.org/users/oceansregina/gifts).



> Hi Lovelies! 
> 
> I am reposting an old story and it's going to be super new. It will have the same premise, but because I totally got stuck with the old one because there was so much going on, I am rewriting this and giving you a much better version of it! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy! 
> 
> A big fat thank you to every one of my people who have helped me with this, and are still actively helping! You know who you are and I love you!
> 
> Also, the coverart is by oceansregina, so go check her out because she's amazing!
> 
> Please don’t forget to tell me what you think! Reviews and comments really do motivate!

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/156729931@N02/40328263693/in/dateposted-public/)

_ Hot kisses against her collarbone woke her and she smirked before she pulled Emma up into a kiss.  _

_ It was heated and something she’d never expected to happen—and never expected to get enough of. _

_ “You taste delicious.” Emma murmured against her lips and then smiled before she raised herself up on her elbows. “I love your body.”  _

_ Regina hummed and smiled at Emma. It was something else, being in this position with someone she— _

_ She clenched her jaw before she could get herself in trouble and then smiled again. She didn’t want to ruin the moment.  _

_ “I’m yours, and only yours.” She blinked up at Emma, her throat tight as emotions seemed to want to overwhelm her. “I love you.”  _

_ She gasped at her own boldness but Emma beamed down at her, love making her eyes shimmer.  _

_ “I love you too,” she replied before she leaned back down, moving them in a slow and gentle kiss.  _

_ Regina shifted beneath Emma, her core throbbing and her panties damp with her arousal. “Emma—I need you.”  _

_ It was more than she’d ever admit but Emma seemed to know exactly what it was she needed. Her fingers slid through her folds and then settled on her clit and Regina shuddered with need. _

_ Emma circled her clit with lazy movements and Regina whimpered, her need bigger than her common sense.  _

_ “You know, if I had the equipment I’d fuck you until you were pregnant and then some,” Emma chuckled and pressed another kiss to Regina’s lips.  _

_ She was kidding. Regina knew this, but her heart skipped a beat at the thought of Emma getting her pregnant.  _

_ “That’s an interesting thought.”  _

_ Emma shrugged. “I love your body, and I think it would be amazing to see you grow and swell with a little bundle of joy.”  _

_ Regina narrowed her eyes and let Emma’s words sink in. And after a moment, she smiled because why not?  _

_ She used a spell she’d once read in one of her magic books and waved her hand over Emma.  _

_ “What’s stopping you?”  _

_ Emma looked down, the throbbing, erect dick pressed between them. “Regina—what did you do?”  _

_ Regina smirked. “I gave you the equipment to get me pregnant.” She shifted her hips and enjoyed the feeling of Emma’s hot skin against hers. “I’m sure you know what to do with it." _

_ Emma’s frown slowly faded from her face and a smile replaced it. She shifted and pressed her cock against Regina’s stomach, her hand still trapped between their bodies.  _

_ “This is amazing.” She looked back up with a smirk. “Regina, it feels so real!”  _

_ “That’s because it is real,” she replied and then reached down, wrapping her hands around Emma’s dick. Emma shuddered against her. “It’s as real as you and me right now.” _

_ Emma leaned down and kissed her, and then moved her hand to Regina’s on her cock. “I want to be inside of you, and come inside of you. This feels amazing but—I need—I don’t even know what I need.”  _

_ “I’m ready for you, Emma.” Regina made sure that Emma could see her eyes. “I want you to give me your babies.” _

_ Emma blinked and then inclined her head. She looked down at her erection one last time before she shifted again and positioned herself just so.  _

_ When Regina could feel her throbbing against her entrance, she shivered with need and moved her hips, only making herself want more.  _

_ “Emma—” _

_ Emma huffed as she looked back up, her face scrunched in concentration. “Regina.”  _

_ She slowly pushed forward. Regina moved with her, trying to get Emma to move faster because she  _ needed  _ more.  _

_ “Emma please,” she whimpered and Emma shook her head. “Please, I  _ need _ you.”  _

_ “I don’t want to hurt you.”  _

_ Regina chuckled and then surprised Emma, pushing herself down onto the throbbing appendage. They both gasped.  _

_ “You won’t hurt me, darling.”  _

_ Emma panted, her eyes cast down and Regina knew she was trying to see between them. There was something in the way she forced herself to stay still.  _

_ “This is amazing, I’ve never—this is so cool,” Emma stumbled before she pulled back. She shuddered, and then pushed back in. “Fuck that feels like Heaven.” _

_ Regina hummed in agreement, and then wrapped her legs around Emma’s waist to urge her on. “Don’t stop moving, dear.”  _

_ Emma set the pace, and Regina followed. It was heaven, like Emma said. The way Emma’s cock stimulated every part of her that needed stimulating and the way Emma was focused on everything else.  _

_ It was new for Regina too—she’d always taken control, even in the bedroom, after the King—that she was willing to let Emma control this part.  _

_ Emma moved her hips in a different way and the tip of her dick hit Regina in the perfect place. She could feel the orgasm building low in her belly and she moaned.  _

_ “Emma.”  _

_ “Regina.” Emma panted as she pounded into her. For a moment all that was heard was their panting, and then Emma grunted, her face tight with the need to let go. “I can’t—I can’t help it—I have to—” _

_ Regina hummed and Emma’s hand moved between their bodies to press her thumb against Regina’s clit.  _

_ Her hips moved in sync with Emma’s as she circled her clit and she could feel the building up just as it was about to reach its peak.  _

_ “I’m so close,” she moaned out and Emma grunted in reply. She moved even faster, the muscles in her neck bulging.  _

_ “Fuck.”  _

_ Regina cried out when her orgasm hit, hard and long and she could feel her walls milking Emma. And then the blonde followed her over the edge, pushing her hips as far forward as she could, keeping herself as deep as she could while she came inside of Regina.  _

_ For a moment neither moved, and as Regina came down she could feel Emma still pulsing inside of her and she smiled.  _

_ “That was interesting.”  _

_ Emma blinked and leaned her sweaty forehead against Regina’s. “If I didn’t get you pregnant with that, I’m not sure I’ve done it right. We might have to have a do-over.” _

_ Regina chuckled. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” _

_ “I’d say, have you seen yourself?” Emma huffed. “Of course you have, but seriously? You look amazing and you’d look gorgeous pregnant.”  _

_ Regina hummed, her heart slowly beating normally again and she breathed in deeply through her nose. “You’d have gotten me pregnant with this, if it hadn’t been a dream.”  _

Regina jerked awake. Everything seemed fuzzy around her and she brought a hand to her forehead. 

It was sticky with sweat and she sighed. 

And then she noticed the stickiness between her legs. She swallowed her embarrassment at having had an orgasm in her dreams, just as her phone started ringing beside her. 

She rolled her eyes and then rolled onto her side, grabbing her phone and answering the call in one move. 

“I need your help,” Emma’s voice sounded frantic over the line. “I had this dream—it felt so real, too, but—”

Regina blinked in surprise. Had Emma dreamt  the same thing as she had? She hadn’t ever felt like a dream was so real, and she  _ knew _ that what she felt dripping out of her wasn’t  _ only  _ her own come. 

“Emma—”

Emma gasped, then. “You had the same dream! Did we  _ share  _ a sex dream? About me getting you  _ pregnant _ ?”

Regina took a deep breath then. “No.” 

There was no way that this was real. And either way, it wasn’t as if she could get pregnant from a shared sex dream with another woman. It had just been a simple spell that had given Emma her appendage.

“What?” Emma sounded confused. 

“I didn’t have a sex dream,” she lied and then sat up, shivering when the cold air hit her still overheated skin. “I—you dreamt about getting the Evil Queen pregnant?” 

It was a defense mechanism. She knew it, and Emma knew it. She bit her lip as she got out of bed, one hand on her stomach. 

“Not the Evil Queen.” Emma grunted, and then sighed. “I dreamt of knocking you up and I just told you about it. Fuck my life.”

Regina chuckled, though it fell flat even to her own ears. “Why don’t you come over for breakfast? Henry’s been asking for you.”

Emma huffed. “You’re just trying to make me feel better—or—wait, if you’re just going to tease me about it, never mind. Just send Henry to the station later.” 

Regina laughed, this time more genuine, and hummed. “I would love to tease you about your dreams, but Emma—Henry is going to be here for breakfast, and I don’t want to scar him for life.”

She also didn’t want Emma to see the flush on her face at just the thought of the way that Emma had filled her so completely. 

“Oh, okay. Okay, I’ll be there for breakfast.” 

“Perfect. I’ll see you in an hour.” 

Regina didn’t give Emma time to reply, but ended the call and quickly made her way to the bathroom. 

She took a quick shower, brushed her teeth and got dressed before she made her way down the stairs. 

She had just gotten everything together for pancakes when Henry stumbled in, rubbing his eyes before he sat down at the breakfast bar. 

“Good morning, sweetheart.” Regina turned toward him, a soft smile on her face. While everything was okay now, her mind still went back to the times when he hated her.

It made it so she enjoyed the moments like this more than she would’ve before Emma had gotten to town. 

“Morning,” he grunted. 

She watched him for a moment longer, her chest tightening with the love she felt for him. 

It made her think of her dream—the one she’d  _ shared _ with the savior. It made her sad too, because she would never be able to carry her own child. 

She swallowed as she turned back to the stove, and busied herself with making pancakes. 

“Your mother is on her way here for breakfast,” she informed Henry after a moment of silence and when she glanced over her shoulder, she noticed the way he’d perked up.

“Really? Why?”

She was saved from answering when there was a knock on the door. Henry shot up and went to open it, and she turned back around to flip the pancakes. 

“How is it you’re so excited to see me when we’ve been hanging out so much lately?” She heard Emma ask Henry, and she smiled. 

They had been spending a lot of time together—the three of them as a family. It had been a surprise, especially after Robin left town with Marian and Roland, but she wasn’t about to say something and change everything. 

“I just like spending time with you,” Henry said as they walked into the kitchen. 

“Good morning, Regina,” Emma murmured, her cheeks suddenly crimson. Henry frowned at her and then widened his eyes, all of a sudden coming to a conclusion Regina wasn’t sure she wanted to hear. 

“Okay. I’m going to take my pancakes somewhere else.” He grimaced before he grabbed a plate. Regina lifted a brow before she slid the pancakes onto his plate. “Thanks, Mom.”

After he’d left the kitchen, Emma sighed loudly and sank down at the breakfast bar, where Henry had been sitting just minutes earlier.

“He’s been asking for me huh? He couldn’t get out of here fast enough,” she said as she watched Regina. 

For a moment, Regina couldn’t do anything but try and stop her body from reacting to Emma’s presence. She licked her lips and pressed her thighs together before she turned toward her.

She smiled, though a little shaky. “You don’t need me to tease you about a  _ dream  _ when your face tells a story.” 

Emma cupped her own cheeks and gasped before pressing her lips together in annoyance. “I hate my skin.” 

Regina let her eyes roam over Emma’s face, lingering on lips a pale pink. “I think you have beautiful skin.” 

Green eyes narrowed. “Wait, what?”

Regina rolled her eyes and then turned around again, focusing on the pancakes before she would say something even worse. 

“Grab a plate,” she said instead and waited patiently as Emma grabbed a plate. She plated the pancakes and glanced at Emma, who still had a blush on her face. “Do you want to talk about it—now that Henry isn’t here to overhear anything?”

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.”

Regina hummed before she added the last of the batter to the pan. “You know you want to talk about it.”

“I—I mean, it was more real than the last time I had—I had sex,” Emma murmured and Regina agreed silently. “And just so you know, I don’t have a penis but I had one in the dream and we talked about getting you pregnant.” 

Regina blinked at the way Emma forced the words out and then she smiled. “So we had sex to get me pregnant,” she summarized. 

“It would be a masterpiece, you know?” 

“What?” Regina breathed, her back tense as she forced herself to stay where she was.

Emma cleared her throat. “A baby between us would’ve been a masterpiece if it had been possible.” 

Regina did turn around then and stared at Emma, her own face hot as the blush crept on her face. 

“Of course.” She choked out before she swallowed and smirked at the blonde. “Have you seen us?”

Emma hummed. Her green eyes shimmered with something that Regina couldn’t quite place, and for a moment neither of them talked. 

Regina turned to plate the last of the pancakes for herself and when she turned back to Emma, Emma sighed. 

“We’re here talking about sex but I just want you to know that—even though that’s a huge part—it’s not the only thing I like about you.” 

“Oh?” 

“I mean, you’re funny and sassy and I love that about you,” Emma went on, her voice soft but surprisingly firm and certain. “But what I love most about you is the way you love. Even when Henry was being a brat about the whole adoption thing, you loved him with your whole heart and didn’t bother hiding it.”

“Of course not.” Regina frowned, but Emma didn’t notice. 

“Henry isn’t the only one you fiercely love though. I saw the way you were with Robin, and it broke my heart to see him leave. But I know that you’ll find love again.” 

Regina clenched and unclenched her jaw and then narrowed her eyes. She wondered where Emma was going with this—she’d never had anyone look at her with more than disdain, not before Robin came to town. 

And now Emma was saying—she wasn’t even sure what Emma was trying to say. 

“Okay,” she drawled.

Emma huffed. “I’m not good with feelings and words. I just want to say that I think you’re amazing, and I’m not just into your body or anything—I’m into you as a person.”

“I’m—I’m  _ into  _ you as a person too,” Regina replied and Emma looked up, a beaming smile on her face. “Of course I like you, you’re my best friend.”

For a split second, the smile faded and Regina wondered if she’d said the wrong thing. But then Emma cleared her throat. 

“I’ve been thinking. And we’ve been friends for so long that it’s just weird to bring this up but—I mean, I know there’s also more between us than just friendship.” 

Regina hummed—if she had to go on the dream, she agreed. There was a lot more than friendship between them. She felt it too—the strong connection between them had only grown stronger when Robin had left. 

And he was her supposed Soulmate. 

“So what are you saying?”

She pressed a hand to her stomach, her pancakes forgotten as nerves made her appetite disappear. 

“What I’m saying is—I think we could—I would love to take you out someday so that maybe, we can find out if this attraction can be more.”

Emma suddenly dug into her pancakes and refused to look at Regina. 

Regina, on the other hand, couldn’t stop staring. She didn’t know what to say, how to respond to that non-question. Had that been an invitation to a date?

And so she blinked and cleared her throat. “I think that we could definitely try to find out.”

Emma looked up again, the beaming smile back. “So will you go on a date with me?”

There was something vulnerable to Emma, as she waited for Regina to reply. Regina couldn’t help but stare, again, and she knew that it was her turn to speak. Words failed her as she let it sink that Emma was actually asking her out. 

After all those years. After Neverland and the closeness. After the year apart. Emma was finally asking her out and Regina blinked as her eyes burnt. 

“Yes.” She moved around the bar and stood next to Emma. “Yes, I’ll go out with you.”

They smiled at each other for a moment before Emma turned back to her plate. “Awesome, I’ve been waiting for a chance.” 

“Really?” 

Emma hummed around her food before she swallowed it. “Yea, when Hook came to get us from New York, and I first saw you—let’s say I’d missed you.”

Regina sat down and started cutting into her pancakes. “My first thought after you took me apart, was that you were going to kiss me.” 

Emma chuckled. “That was very possible at that moment. Regina, you gave Henry and me something so special with your memories.” She blinked and then smiled so softly that Regina wondered what she was thinking about. “I still have them, you know? And even before I knew what it all meant, before we drove over the town line when that curse hit, I wanted to kiss you.” 

Regina didn’t know what to say. She never really spent much time thinking back on her life—there was too much darkness there—but Emma made her think back on other things too. 

She was spared when Henry walked back into the kitchen, and put his plate in the dishwasher before he turned toward them, a smile on his face. 

“It’s about time.” 

Emma snorted. “Kid, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Regina frowned and glanced between the two of them. “What did I miss?” 

“Ever since Robin left, we have been spending every day here, Mom. Even Ma is here every day, and you don’t even seem to mind. In fact, you seem happier than you were when you were with Robin.” Henry shrugged before he turned around and made his way back to the living room. Before he was out of sight, he glanced over his shoulder. “I just want the both of you to be happy.” 

Emma smiled. “We are, Kid.”

Regina glanced between them again, this time a smile on her face to match Emma’s. “We really are.”


	2. Chapter 2

Regina clenched her jaw as she watched Snow White walk around in her office as if she owned it. 

It had been a while, but ever since they had cursed themselves back to Storybrooke, Snow kept coming back to the office as if she was the mayor. 

All the while, the town had actually  _ begged _ Regina to return, because Snow had been the worst in organizing and leading. Regina, on the other hand, had three decades of experience. 

Snow was building up to something—what, Regina wasn’t sure. She knew it had to do with Emma. 

“Why don’t you sit down,” Regina suggested as she watched the dark haired woman pace around. “You’re distracting me from doing actual work.”

Snow turned and glared at Regina before she sat down with a huff. “You know what? I’ve done this for about six months and I sucked at it, how are you such a natural?”

Regina smiled as she lifted her pen from the paper in front of her. There was no way she was working while Snow was here, that much was clear. She dropped the pen down onto the paper and focused her attention at Snow. 

“I have been doing this for three decades, dear. There’s nothing natural about the way I had to learn how to make sure the town stayed afloat.

“You’re a natural at everything. You are kind and caring and you are an amazing Queen, whereas I can’t even take care of my own child.” 

Regina leaned back, and lifted a brow. “Which one are you talking about?” 

Snow widened her eyes. “Both, actually. You take better care of Emma than I ever could and  _ you _ cast the curse that separated us.”

“Oh, are we going back to that? Do you have something on your mind, dear?” 

Snow shook her head, her cheeks colored with shame before she looked down at her knees. 

“I’m sorry—that was rude and way out of line. We’ve moved past it and it’s not something I should use against you.” She licked her lips before she looked back up. “You  _ do _ take better care of her than I ever could.” 

It took a moment for Regina to reply. What she wanted, was to tell Snow that Emma had asked her out on a date. What she wanted, was to tell Snow about the dream that she’d shared with Emma. 

But that would only be because it was habit. 

She would want to hurt the woman in front of her—the woman who was once her step daughter—because she had still made her life a living hell. 

But she swallowed and hummed. “Emma is a grown woman, Snow. She might be your daughter, but she’s not a child anymore and the moment you see that— _that’s_ the moment she will reach out to _you_ too.”

When the other woman didn’t reply, Regina leaned back over her paperwork and did her best to focus on what she was supposed to read. 

Emma  _ had  _ been spending more time with her, even without Henry there. 

It had been a week since she’d asked her out, and tonight they had planned on the actual date. 

But Emma had been at the mansion almost every night, and spent her lunch break with Regina almost every day. She wouldn’t complain—she enjoyed it when Emma kept her company.

“I just think it’s—I think it’s great that she has someone to fall back on, you know? She’s been alone for so long that it doesn’t matter to me  _ who _ she reaches out to, as long as she reaches out to  _ someone _ .” 

Regina blinked as she looked up, her gaze locking with Snow’s. “Alright.” 

“So what are you guys doing tonight?” 

“What do you mean?” 

Snow rolled her eyes. “The only reason you’re dropping off Henry tonight is that you’re going out, because he’s always with you.” 

“And what makes you think I’m doing anything with Emma?” 

Regina knew that Snow knew. She could see it in the shimmering of her eyes—she was just having fun. 

“I think it’s time to stop hiding,” Snow said before she sobered. “Emma has been spending time with you ever since Robin left. And, granted, the first month I thought she might just want to keep you company and cheer you up.” 

Regina clenched her jaw as she sucked in a breath. “Wait, you think I took a month to get over someone who I’ve barely dated?” 

Snow lifted a brow. “You seemed pretty heartbroken when you had to let him go over the town line.”

She sucked her teeth. “Yes, I was heartbroken. Mostly because he wanted to go back to the Enchanted Forest, and I had to send him into a world without magic—because something happened here and  _ I  _ couldn’t cure her.”

“I didn’t know that,” Snow said softly. 

Regina huffed. “Of course you didn’t. You saw what you wanted to see. And I do love Robin. I honestly do—it’s just not in the way we were supposed to love each other.” 

Snow looked confused and for a moment she didn’t say anything. This time, Regina kept her eyes on the way she seemed to process everything. 

“So you like Emma? You never liked Robin?” 

Regina raised her brows, and smirked. “Well, if you insist on going to kindergarten level, then yes. I like Emma,” she replied and then sighed. “I’m not sure what Robin has to do with this. He’s my soulmate, but he’s in love with his wife and there’s nothing I can do. I don’t  _ want  _ to be with him.”

Snow hummed and then stood to her feet. “I don’t have to know what you’re going to do tonight, as long as you don’t hurt her.” 

Regina swallowed thickly. “I think—I think the one risking it all is me.” 

Snow blinked before she shook her head, and she turned on her heels. Before she left, she glanced over her shoulder. “You deserve to be happy, Regina.”

Regina breathed deeply as she leaned back, her heart thumping fast against her ribs. 

She had given away more than she’d ever planned on, and she knew that she had to discuss this all with Emma before their date. 

As the door to her office closed she realized that she had expected a pep-talk from Snow. She had expected to feel better.

But she only felt worse. 

She sighed again as she leaned over her desk, took the pen in her hand and got to work on getting through her paperwork. After all, she had a date to get ready for, and that meant that she wanted to leave work a little early.

—SQ—

She had planned the whole conversation with Emma, about how Snow had figured it out. She had planned how she’d tell Emma gently. 

As it turned out, Emma wasn’t at the station when Regina arrived there after work. She also wasn’t at home with Snow and the baby. 

The baby she would never call by his actual name—Leopold. Every time she heard the name she was pushed back into her years as a young queen, taking care of Snow and—

She shook her head and pushed away the dark thoughts before she could be pulled in completely.

She couldn’t find Emma, and she made her way back to the mansion. Only to find out that Emma had gotten Henry and, according to the note on the fridge, was bringing him to spend the night with her parents.

And so, she wouldn’t have a chance to talk to Emma before the date. Maybe that was how it was supposed to be.

Before she could even make her way to her room, there was a knock on the door followed by the doorbell. 

When she opened the door, Emma stood in front of her. It was still early—Regina knew she still had a couple of hours to get ready. 

“I dropped Henry off at my parents and got the most juicy news.” Emma gently pushed past her into the foyer before she turned around. 

Regina closed the door and leaned against it. 

“Oh?”

Emma stepped toward her and Regina swallowed, her heart speeding up. Emma smiled. “Yea, Mom told me she had a nice talk with you about her kids and she said she’d been jealous of you, because you got to spend all that time with one of them.” 

“Right,” Regina nodded. She wasn’t sure where Emma was going with this. 

“And then she told me that you were leaving work early because you have a date.” 

“I didn’t tell her anything, Emma,” she murmured, “she just guessed.” 

Emma’s smile softened and she inclined her head. “She told me as much. We never really talked about how private we wanted to keep this and I think it’s safe to say—she’s going to tell the  _ whole _ town.”

Regina hummed. “Indeed.”

“I don’t know about you—that’s why I told her to keep it under wraps for now—but I don’t really mind if anyone knows.”

Regina smiled as she watched Emma. The blonde seemed to be ready to accept whatever she wanted and it felt good to have someone in her corner again. 

“I’m—let’s just have tonight? And then decide if we’re going to tell people. I think it’s—it might be a bit too soon to talk to people about this.”

Emma nodded. “Okay. See, I knew you were smart.” 

Her back snapped as she straightened and she narrowed her eyes at Emma. “Stop putting yourself down and go home to get ready for tonight.” 

“I’m not, I’m putting Snow down,” Emma said with a smirk and Regina chuckled.

“Then don’t stop, because that just makes my day,” she replied with a smile before she stepped away from the door. 

Emma stepped toward her and for a moment, she didn’t move as they stood inches apart. Regina could feel the warmth coming off of Emma and how it wrapped around her body in an embrace. 

“I’ll see you in a couple of hours—you have the potion?” 

Emma didn’t move away, and Regina swallowed and inclined her head. “Yes, I have the potion.”

They had talked about their date a lot and had both come to the conclusion that they wanted their first date to be out of town. Emma had found a place, but she didn’t want to say anything about it.

She did ask about potions to cross the town line—it was still uncertain what would happen if Regina crossed the town line. 

The potion would protect her from memory loss, and Emma would make sure she could get back in town if there even was a question about that. 

“Perfect. I’ll come pick you up at seven.” 

Regina slowly closed the door behind Emma and then made her way up the stairs. Emma’s scent clung to her in a way that took her breath away, and Regina smiled. 

Somehow, somewhere, she’d finally admitted to her attraction and it had brought all these other things to her attention. 

The way Emma’s perfume was heavy and wrapped around her—the way Emma seemed to have a smile that was reserved for Henry, and now her. 

There was so much that she had ignored in favor of acting like she was in love with Robin. 

Before she knew it, it was almost seven and she was waiting for Emma to arrive. She’d made an effort to look a little more casual—black jeans and a white button up shirt. 

Her makeup was subtle, and her hair perfectly curled. 

She felt like she’d gone through too much trouble, but then there was nothing she could do—not with only a couple of minutes to spare. 

Nerves wracked her body as she realized that she didn’t even know where they were going. She had just  _ assumed _ they would go somewhere casual, because that was  _ Emma.  _

Regina stood to her feet and was just about to go to her room to change, when she heard the Bug. She rolled her eyes and wondered when she’d started to listen to that godawful sound and associate it with Emma. 

She’d opened the door before Emma could get out of the car, not bothering with what was supposed to be a romantic reveal of the way they had dressed up. 

As she waited patiently for Emma to make her way over to the door, she couldn’t help but wonder what Emma had planned. 

Emma didn’t notice her until she cleared her throat, and then she recoiled with her eyes wide. 

“Oh—I didn’t even see you!” She exclaimed before she shook her head. “Damn, Regina. I had a full speech in my head. I knew  _ exactly  _ what I was going to say.”

Regina smirked. “I’m not stopping you.” 

It took her a moment, but then Emma shook her head again and chuckled. “Hi,” she breathed before she let her gaze roam over Regina’s body. “God—you look amazing.” 

A blush crept up Regina’s cheeks. “Thank you. You too,” she said softly as she checked out Emma. Her signature red leather jacket was back and covering tight jeans and a simple white shirt. 

“I just—I can’t believe we matched without even talking about it,” Emma said with a grin and then stepped up, leaning in and pressing her lips against Regina’s cheek. She took a deep breath. “And you smell amazing too.” 

Regina swallowed as her throat tightened and she hummed. “You do too. But then again, you always do.

She pressed her cheek against Emma’s for a moment. When Emma pulled back, her cheeks were pink. “So do you have the potion? I have no clue how it works but I’m sure you’re supposed to have it ready.” 

“I’ll go get it.” 

She quickly made her way to the kitchen, where she’d left the potion. When she returned, Emma smiled brightly. 

“How does it work?”

Regina stepped outside again and closed the door behind her, ready to leave and start their first date. 

“I drink it. I just wanted to wait for you before I did,” she replied and then uncorked the vial with the potion. 

She’d made it the day before, after having spent more than enough time to make sure that it was what she needed. Emma had insisted on it, and she couldn’t help but agree. 

She didn’t want to forget anyone. 

She knocked back the potion and swallowed quickly. A shudder went through her body before she could stop it and Emma stepped toward her, ready to catch her if she fell.

“Okay?” 

“I’m alright.”

And she was. She didn’t feel any different than before and she was sure that the potion worked the way it should. 

“Ready to go then?” Emma asked with a grin. 

Regina nodded. “Yes, I’m ready to go.”

They got in the car and while Emma’s Bug wasn’t a favorite, Emma insisted on driving them, and Regina wasn’t about to let Emma drive her Benz. 

Regina’s heart fluttered when Emma patted her knee. “I’m nervous about going over the town line. What was it like before?” 

“Going over?” Regina asked. When Emma nodded, she shrugged. “I remember feeling a little queasy, but that’s about it.”

They drove in silence for a while, and then Emma sighed as she reduced speed. The townline was getting closer and closer. 

“Here we go.” 

Regina almost smiled at Emma’s apprehension, before the nausea hit and she swallowed thickly as bile rose. Her magic always reacted badly to the fact that it had to stay behind—she remembered being sick to her stomach the first couple of days after she’d cast the curse. 

Emma kept a close eye on her, and after a moment Regina was able to smile gently. 

“I’m fine.” She swallowed again, and then pressed a hand to her stomach. “This really is the worst part of leaving town.”

“Okay. We have about ten minutes before we reach the restaurant. If you still feel sick, we can either drive around until you feel better or go back.” 

“I don’t want to go back.” Regina swallowed again and took a deep breath. She really was feeling better already. She’d managed before, she could manage a date outside of town.

“At least you didn’t lose your memory, so the potion works.”

The ten minutes to the restaurant were quietly filled with the music that Emma had picked out. Regina couldn’t say she had even heard what kind of music it was, because she was too focused on the feelings that seemed to suddenly overwhelm her now that she was alone with Emma. 

On a date. 

She breathed in sharply, just as Emma parked the Bug in front of an Italian restaurant. She still felt a little queasy and would for the remainder of their date, but she didn’t mind. 

“I know—it’s cliche as hell, but it had great reviews on Yelp and I really wanted this to be as fun as possible.” 

“It’s fine, Emma,” Regina murmured, glancing at the building in front of her before she turned back to her date. “Actually, it’s better than fine. I love Italian food.” 

“Really? You never make pasta and you definitely never want pizza.” Emma sounded surprised and Regina hummed, glad that there were still things that Emma didn’t know about her. 

“It’s an indulgence, dear. I don’t cook pasta or pizza because I want to be able to enjoy it when I do get a chance—like right now.” 

Emma smiled before she grabbed Regina’s hand and laced their fingers together. “I’m glad we got to do this then.” 

Her skin tingled where Emma was touching her, and all Regina could focus on was how it felt. “Me too.”

They walked into the restaurant, hand in hand. Regina hadn’t actually been on a date before—not even with Robin. 

After they were seated, Regina couldn’t help but stare at Emma. She was everything she’d ever wanted in a date—sweet, funny and kind. She had kept in mind that they were on a date, but had also made sure that they could both relax by making sure that they were out of town. 

“This is actually super cute, isn’t it? Like it’s an actual restaurant in Italy or something,” Emma glanced around. 

“Have you ever been to Italy?”

“No,” Emma chuckled. “I never had the money and when I did, I didn’t have the time.”

The conversation flowed and before they knew it, their first glass of wine was put in front of them. They ordered, and as time went on, Regina could see what other people saw in Emma. 

She had her own opinion on the woman everyone called the Savior. Emma had always been tough, and she’d always been protective of the people she loved. 

She was joking now, making sure that Regina felt comfortable. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen it happen—but it was the first time she’d been the one to receive that kind of treatment from Emma. 

“When we were in New York, Henry and I talked about a trip to Europe someday. He said he’d always wanted to explore,” Emma said, turning the conversation back to travel. 

Regina hummed, and even with the pang in her heart at the thought of them doing things together, she smiled. “He loves travel.”

“Yea—and now things are even better because there are  _ realms  _ to explore.” Emma grinned. “You’d have to teach him how to ride a horse because I can’t even get up on one.” 

“Wait, what?” Regina gasped mockingly.

“Oh yea, I can’t and I won’t, so you’ll be his teacher. Then he can explore while we relax in the sun or something.” 

“I’m invited?”

Emma frowned and then nodded her head vigorously. “Of course you are! We’re a family.”

“I just—I think I just assumed you wanted to do it together.” 

“Yep,” Emma replied with a smile. “So where would you go if money wasn’t an issue?” 

Regina cleared her throat, as if that would stop the tightening. She shook her head. “I’d love to travel Europe. But most of all, I’d love to see more of America.” 

Emma hummed. “Well, we could always start by taking a couple of weekends and driving around. I am sure that Henry would  _ love _ that.”

“I’ve always wanted to keep him safe—going to a new city alone never felt safe, not even to an Evil Queen.”

“You haven’t been an Evil Queen since you got here though,” Emma replied and then sighed. “I’m sure we’re going to talk about all that Enchanted Forest stuff, but we don’t need to on our first date. I want you to be comfortable enough with me to share.” 

“You know a lot from what Snow told you,” Regina said softly and then looked down at her plate. “I don’t even know what it is she told you.” 

“She told me her side.” Emma raised a brow. “I have learned that one side of the story isn’t necessarily the truth, and I  _ want  _ to hear your side of the story.”

“Alright.”

The most tension that was hanging around them, was the tension of anticipation. Regina didn’t know what to expect from Emma, because she’d surprised her a couple of times already. 

They talked about Henry, and they talked about work and the town. They spent time in a comfortable silence as they ate their dinner, and when the waiter asked if they wanted more wine, they were in sync enough to both want to stop drinking alcohol. 

“I have to drive, you can still have a glass if you want,” Emma murmured, but Regina shook her head. 

“To be honest, I’d love a cup of espresso with dessert later.”

It brought a twinkle to Emma’s eyes and she grinned before she sent the waiter away with the request for two glasses of water. 

Dessert was shared. 

“I don’t want the whole thing, Emma.” Regina chuckled when Emma rolled her eyes. “It’s too big, I’m already full.” 

“You were the one insisting on dessert,” Emma said before she smiled and then, conversation rolled on again. 

There were only comfortable lulls in conversation when they were eating, and Regina knew that she wanted to repeat this again, and preferably more than once. 

It’s only when they are about to pay, that there’s an uncomfortable silence.

“What are you doing?” Emma asked softly. “We are on a date—one I asked you on. It’s on me.”

“But—” it was only that she was used to paying her own way. She was used to taking care of herself and she had the money, so she never really worried about it anyway. 

Emma shook her head, her green eyes narrowed. “You can pay for our next date.” 

Even though it was presumptuous, Regina couldn’t help but smile. “Alright, Emma. You pay for our first date.” 

Regina watched as Emma grinned, and then paid for the bill. She was very generous, and that was another thing Regina loved about Emma. 

“Are we ready to go?” 

“Yes.” 

They made their way to the car, and Emma opened the door for Regina. She chuckled before she slipped into the car, and then waited until Emma was settled before she turned around. 

“As a first,  _ first _ date this was very nice,” she said softly. 

“It doesn’t have to end,” Emma murmured as she pulled out of the parking lot and started the way back. “We can take a walk on the docks? Or we could go to Granny’s for a coffee.” 

“Why can’t I invite you back to the house for a cider?” Regina asked and Emma flushed. 

She didn’t say anything for a long time, and Regina wondered if she’d said the wrong thing. 

“I’m not sure that that’s wise, at least from my part.” Emma glanced at her for a moment and then focused on the road again. The way back was faster—they were already close to the townline. “I really want this to be perfect for you.”

They crossed the townline only moments later and Regina breathed in sharply when her magic returned to her. It was like a hard slap to the face, unlike when it was pulled from her. 

Her fingers tingled and her brain went fuzzy for a moment, and then it all settled and she was left with a headache. 

Something she would probably never tell Emma. 

“I think it’s perfect whichever way we take tonight,” she murmured as she resisted the urge to rub her temples. 

Emma hummed. “Why don’t we just call it a night? Considering this is the first time you went on a date, I want to end it on a positive note, and not with you in pain.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I know going over the townline isn’t something that you like doing—I don’t know what happens, but you’re in pain?” 

“Not exactly,” Regina said, surprised that Emma had noticed even while driving. “I don’t understand why you don’t feel it, but it’s like a tingling in my body, and my brain seems to shut down. And then when that’s over, I’m left with a headache.”

“So, if we want to go somewhere, we might have to figure out a way that it doesn’t affect you as much as it does?” Before she knew it, Emma parked on the driveway. “Let’s talk about this tomorrow? Or whenever.”

Regina hummed. “Please. I don’t think I can think about that right now.” She turned her head, regardless of the pain, and smiled. “Are you sure you don’t want to come in for a cider?”

Emma bit her lip and then smiled. “I’m sure. The next time you suggest it though, I will take you up on it.”

Regina chuckled and then got out of the car. She didn’t notice Emma following her until she’d opened the door and hadn’t heard Emma drive off. 

“You walked me to my door,” Regina murmured and then smiled again, suddenly shy about what she’d been expecting. “That’s cute.” 

Emma blushed. “It was a date, Regina. I’m just making sure you get home safe.” She moved to stand beside Regina and then smiled. “Also, I really don’t want tonight to end. I had a great time.” 

“Me too, dear.” Regina smiled and ran a hand down Emma’s arm, lacing their fingers together with a smile. “I’d like to do it again—sometime soon.” 

“Me too.”

Regina wet her lips and smiled when she saw Emma’s gaze flicker down. “What does a first date say about kisses?” 

Emma grinned before she leaned forward. “It’s highly recommended.” 

And then she pressed her lips to Regina’s. It was slow, gentle and was over before she knew it, but it tasted like more. She wanted more, and she could feel a warmth low in her belly. 

Emma pulled back with a dazed smile and Regina couldn’t help but wonder what she looked like, with the headache still pounding away and her brain even fuzzier after that kiss.

“Thank you for tonight, Emma,” she murmured before she stepped inside. “You really gave me a night to remember.”


	3. Chapter 3

It seemed to become the new normal for Emma to join them for breakfast. 

The morning after their date, Emma had dropped Henry off only to stay when she realized that Regina was making breakfast. 

Then the morning after that, when she had come to pick up Henry for school, she’d gotten in early only to join them for breakfast. 

Two weeks later, Regina didn’t even bother acting surprised, and made sure she had a plate ready for Emma when she joined them. 

“Morning, Kid.”

Emma grinned when Henry grumbled, and then went to press a kiss to Regina’s cheek. They hadn’t had time for a second  _ real _ date, and nothing had happened between them. 

“Good morning, dear. What are your plans today?” Regina asked as she plated some food for Emma. “It’s your day off, isn’t it?”

She hadn’t bothered changing out of her pajamas, and neither had Henry. Emma was wearing more casual clothing too—having forgone her jeans and choosing joggers and a loose fitting shirt. 

“Yea, I was hoping I could take the both of you out for a day at the beach or something, it’s really nice out,” Emma said and then smiled when Henry perked up. “I know it’s hell to get back over the townline though.” 

“Hell? What happens?” Henry asked and Regina sighed. She never really wanted anyone to know when she was in pain and now Emma was sharing it with their  _ son _ . 

“It’s just a side effect from the curse,” Regina said and then turned to Emma. “If you’re worried about that, we have a beach—or something like it—right here in Storybrooke.”

Regina saw the way Henry’s shoulders sagged in disappointment and felt bad for even suggesting it, but then Emma agreed.

“I’ll go home to get dressed after breakfast.”

“Alright,” Regina murmured before she sat down next to Henry and Emma at the breakfast bar.

Her own breakfast consisted of a slice of toasted bread. She’d never been a fan of breakfast, but today her stomach was upset. 

“I hope you’ll eat more than just toast—it’s going to be draining to walk on the beach if you don’t eat enough.” Emma looked worried and Henry glanced between the both of them. 

Regina blinked at Emma, swallowing a bite of her toast before she cleared her throat. “I’m not—I have a bit of an upset stomach.” 

“Are you sure you want to go to the beach then? We can just hang here.” Emma gestured toward the living area. “Watch movies, or something.” 

“No,” Regina replied quickly, clearing her throat again. “I  _ want _ to go to the beach, Emma. And Henry does too, right, sweetheart?” 

Henry hummed in agreement before he shoveled the last of his breakfast into his mouth. “I do, it just sucks that we can’t go out of town. I heard that there was an amazing beach just near Boston.”

He stood to his feet and for a moment, Regina felt guilty for being the one to ruin his fun. But Emma raised an eyebrow, and turned toward him. 

“You do realize that we live in a fairytale town and your Mom is from another  _ realm  _ completely? We need to find a way to make the transition easier on her, before we can actually spend time outside of Storybrooke.”

“But what even is the reason for the trouble? Like—what happens when she crosses the line?” Henry asked, his annoyance clear. 

“It’s something to do with magic, Kid. It makes her sick when we go over the townline, and it hurts her when she gets back.”

“I hate magic,” Henry muttered before he turned to Regina. She swallowed as she expected the angry rant to turn toward her. “I’m sorry Mom. I just—it’s always messing with our lives.” 

Regina hummed. “Believe me, I know. I don’t like it either, sweetheart.” She reaches out her arms and he breathed in deeply as he stepped into her embrace. “I’ll make sure that I find a way to make it easier on my body. Right now though, I would certainly be sick and it would be better if we stayed here.” 

She ran a hand over his back while her other hand went to his hair. 

“And how are you going to make it easier?” He murmured against her neck. “More magic, I assume?” 

Emma sighed and leaned closer. “Hey, Kid—why don’t you go get ready? You can come with me to the loft so that your Mom has a moment to herself?”

Henry pulled back and walked out of the kitchen, annoyance clear in the way he stalked off.

Regina rolled her eyes before she turned to Emma, ready to make her feelings known. “I can take care of myself.” 

“I know,” Emma said without missing a beat. “This isn’t about taking care of yourself, this is about the way he thinks it doesn’t matter that you get hurt.” 

She sighed and had to admit that Emma was right. He didn’t seem to realize that she really did feel bad when she crossed the line. 

“I’ll make a potion of sorts—maybe there’s something I can enchant to make the transition a little easier.” 

Emma inclined her head and then focused her gaze on the hand on Regina’s stomach. How was it that Emma saw through her so easily?

“You want to tell me what’s going on? Why do you have an upset stomach?” Emma asked softly, her worry clear. “Is it like—are you on your period or something?

Regina huffed. “I don’t  _ get _ periods anymore. Not after the potion I took,” she said before she could stop herself. She gritted her teeth when she saw the confusion on Emma’s face. “This might be one of those stories for another time?”

“Okay,” Emma drawled slowly. “You still haven’t answered my question though.”

“I don’t know, Emma,” Regina sighed. “It could be a stomach bug—I really have no clue. It won’t stop me from joining you and Henry at the beach.”

“Alright.” Emma stood to her feet and then slowly leaned down. “Will this count as a second date though?” 

Before Regina could respond, Emma’s lips covered hers. She lifted her hands, one hand finding the nape of Emma’s neck and the other pressed to her cheek. Emma pulled her closer, and deepened the kiss. 

Emma’s lips were warm and soft against her own and she hummed against them. She  _ knew _ how to get someone on their knees with a kiss, and Emma knew that technique as well. 

Regina was weak in Emma’s arms. 

“Gross.” 

Henry’s voice made them pull apart and Regina breathed in deeply before she turned toward Henry, a smile on her face. 

“Okay, let’s get ready for the beach, shall we?” Emma said cheerfully. She watched Regina for a moment before she smiled. “We’ll come back to pick you up.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

—SQ—

It was still too cold to lay on the beach, but as Emma had figured, they could spend some time together outside of the house. 

Even though—after two weeks—they still hadn’t told anyone except for Henry. But then again, Henry was with them all the time. 

Regina laced her hand into Emma’s, not really caring if anyone saw. She watched Henry as he ran ahead, his hair wild in the wind. 

“So, does this count as a second date?” Emma asked again and Regina glanced at her. 

“Of course,” she hummed. She squeezed Emma’s hand and smiled. “I’ve even been counting our lunches at Granny’s as dates.”

“Wait,” Emma looked up at the sky. “That means we’ve had way more dates than I thought.”

“Emma.” Regina stopped and pulled Emma around to face her. “If it wasn’t for the fact that I am a fairytale character, things might have been different.” 

“Okay,” Emma drawled.

“Look. What I mean to say is, that you’re an amazing person and every moment we spend together, that only gets confirmed. We don’t have to go on more  _ special _ dates.” 

Emma smiled. “I get it. No need for special dates. But that  _ doesn’t  _ mean we’ll never have time to ourselves, right?”

Regina chuckled. “Gods, I hope not. The way you keep talking about that dream, I’m sure you have some amazing moves.”

She hadn’t brought it up in a while and Regina couldn’t stop thinking about it. She wanted them to move toward that, she wanted  _ more _ from Emma. 

Emma flushed and smiled shyly. “Oh, you know it.” 

Regina chuckled before she turned and resumed walking, Emma flush against her side. 

“We’ll have time to ourselves, I promise you. And if we don’t, we’ll just try your dreams, maybe we can enjoy each other like that.” Regina loved the way Emma flushed even brighter. 

“Are you sure you didn’t have the same dream? God, it was so real,” Emma said softly. “I even—I even woke up with this heavy feeling in my bones, like I’d actually had the most amazing sex in my entire life.” 

It was a compliment she couldn’t accept if she wanted to keep her lie going. But, it was a nice compliment. 

“I have a lot to live up to, I hear. I hope I can do better than dream me.” 

Before either of them could continue their banter, Henry joined them with a sigh. “I wish you would let me get a dog. It would’ve been fun, running around with a dog.”

“The moment you figure out that it’s more than just running around, we’ll get you a dog,” Emma replied without missing a beat. 

Regina gave her a gentle shove. “He’s living with me, and  _ you’re  _ promising him a dog?”

Emma shrugged. “It’ll be a while before he actually sees that there’s more to dogs than running on the beach. Maybe it’s time for him to do some volunteer work—I hear the shelter needs hands.” 

“Ma!” Henry whined and Regina chuckled. “I don’t want to do volunteer work!” 

“It’ll be good for you. Don’t you think, Regina? He might learn a couple of things about taking care of your animals.”

“I agree, darling.” She winked at Emma. “Maybe that’s true for all of us.” 

Henry frowned. “Wait, are you guys going to volunteer with me? Please tell me you won’t?”

Regina smiled and mentally stepped out of the conversation, enjoying the easy banter between mother and son. 

She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, trusting Emma to steer them around the beach safely. The sun was bright and warm on her face, even with the wind whipping around them. 

This was something she’d want to keep doing with Emma—the easy way the blonde made a plan for the day made her feel at ease with even herself. 

—SQ—

Regina leaned back, and pressed her hands against her stomach. Her eyes burned, and her stomach heaved as she clenched her teeth. 

It had been a week since they’d gone to the beach, and already she wanted to go back to that moment in time. She had been so happy. 

Her stomach clenched again and she swallowed thickly, the bile rising in her throat. 

“Are you getting sick?” Snow narrowed her eyes at Regina. There was a moment where she felt like yelling at the pixie haired woman, but she decided against it. 

She was dating her daughter—she needed to keep Snow as a friend instead of turning her into an enemy again. 

She licked her lips. “No.” 

“You look kind of green,” Snow pushed and Regina opened her eyes to frown at the woman. When would she learn when to stop pushing. 

She swallowed against the bile. “I’m fine.” 

It took her a moment to calm down enough, her stomach still unsettled. But at least she didn’t feel like throwing up anymore. 

“If I didn’t know better I’d say you’re pregnant,” Snow sniggered. “Good thing you’re with Emma.”

Regina hummed. “I can’t get pregnant, so I’d appreciate it if you dropped this subject and never mention it again.” 

Her heart hurt at the thought, how she’d messed up her own chances of ever having a child that was biologically hers. Snow blinked and then paled. 

“Wait, that’s not just a rumor? What happened?” 

Regina closed her eyes again, breathing in shakily. “Did you not hear what I just said? Can you— _ for once _ —listen to me? Please?”

She swallowed thickly, this time against tears that seemed to want to spill over. She rolled her eyes up even while they were closed and took another deep breath before she opened them to glare at Snow. 

“Okay.” 

“Thank you.” 

Just as she was about to tell Snow to leave her alone for a moment, there was a knock on the door. Before either of them could react, it opened and revealed a beaming Emma. 

“Hey, I thought I’d—oh, hey Mom.”

Snow glanced between the two of them and then smiled at Emma. “Hey, honey. I was just about to leave—I’ve been away from Leopold for long enough.” 

Regina blinked when her stomach heaved again, and bit her lip to stop herself from saying something hurtful. They had gotten so far—even though they still weren’t friends  _ exactly _ .

“Oh, okay,” Emma gave her an awkward side hug, and Snow turned to Regina one last time before she left the office, softly closing the door behind her. Emma turned to Regina. “Did I interrupt something?” 

Regina shook her head. “No. Your mother was her obnoxious self, inserting herself in my life just like she’s always done.”

Emma lifted a brow and then moved closer. It was only then that Regina noticed the bag in her hand. Emma followed her gaze to it and held it up. 

“I got you something from Granny’s.” She put the bag on Regina’s desk, and for a moment she seemed unsure what to do with herself. “Are you okay?”

Regina hummed. “Of course I am.” She smiled as she stood to her feet, straightening out her skirt before she made her way around the desk and pulled Emma close. “I’m happy to see you.”

Emma grinned before she wrapped her arms around Regina and breathed in deeply. “I am happy to see you too.”

Regina leaned back and pressed her lips to Emma’s, a soft kiss that didn’t go anywhere even though she wanted it to. Emma had been very sweet, and hadn’t even brought up the dream again. 

She moved away first, her heart lighter after a hug from Emma like it always was. Her stomach was still upset, but she didn’t want to hurt Emma. She turned to the bag on her desk. 

“What did you bring me?” 

“The other day you were going on and on about that cheeseburger I had—I thought you’d like to have one too,” Emma said as she opened the bag. 

The scent of meat drifted up and for a moment, everything seemed fine. Regina had been talking about the cheeseburger Emma had been eating—it had smelled amazing and had looked even better. 

Her upset stomach heaved and she took a step back, her face cold and her eyes closed as she tried to force herself to calm down. 

“Close the bag,” she choked out. She pressed a hand to her stomach and pursed her lips and then her stomach heaved again. Emma frowned, but did as she was told.

It was too late though. Regina stumbled as she moved toward the bathroom attached to her office. Her vision blurred as she sank down on her knees in front of the toilet, emptying her stomach. 

Emma slowly sank down next to her and held her hair back, a cool hand pressed against her forehead as she dry heaved. 

“Are you sick or something?” Emma whispered as Regina leaned back against her. 

“I guess,” she choked out. She sighed, and then swallowed thickly. She forced herself to get up, Emma scrambling to help her. “Thank you—I’ll be right out, okay?” 

After brushing her teeth with one of the spare toothbrushes she kept, she glanced at herself in the mirror.

She looked like hell frozen over. Her face was a sickly pale and her eyes were red rimmed, the whites a pale pink as if she’d been crying. 

When she made her way back into her office, Emma was leaning against her desk and the bag of take out was nowhere to be found. Even the smell was gone. 

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re pregnant.” Emma unknowingly echoed her mother’s words and Regina took a shaky breath. What were the odds?

“If I didn’t know any better I’d say you heard what your mother said to me.” She gritted her teeth as she made her way to her chair. “I told you last weekend that my stomach was upset—I just think I’ve caught a stomach flu.” 

Emma turned, and then sank down in the visitors chair. “Okay. I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to upset you. Maybe you should go home and take the rest of the day off to sleep, make sure you feel better.” 

“I’m the mayor, dear, I can’t just take a day off.” 

“Of course.” Emma leaned back and then smiled. “You could always call Mom back and have her take over—I’m sure she’d be fine unless there’s an emergency.” 

Regina sighed and then looked up at Emma. “I just don’t see the use of taking time off. I feel much better.” 

“Your lies are getting worse the closer we get, did you know that?” Emma asked conversationally. “I mean, before, sometimes one would slip past, but now—now it’s like my lie detector is honed in on what you say with about a hundred percent accuracy.”

“Alright. I don’t feel any better.” Regina leaned back and ran a hand over her face. “I don’t understand how, after all those years, I suddenly get sick.” 

Emma took a moment and then grinned. “Are you sure you didn’t have the same dream I had?” 

Regina blinked and then rolled her eyes. “I’m sure.” She had said those words so often that even she believed them. She hardly even remembered the dream, but Emma did. 

And she loved rubbing the dream in her face every chance she got. 

“Okay, but just so you know, I was going to ask you on another date,” Emma said as she stood to her feet. 

Regina frowned. “What changed?”

Emma huffed and then rolled her eyes. “You’re sick, and you will stay in tonight. Hell, if you want we can have a night in and just hang out.”

“Isn’t that what we always do?” Regina whined and then swallowed as surprise raced through her. Since when did she  _ whine _ ?

“We can have a date another time,” Emma said softly, her eyes narrowed and her expression confused. “If we stay in, we could make out when Henry goes to bed.” 

“Make out?  _ Make out _ ? Are we teenagers now?” Regina huffed before she bit her lip. “Gods, Emma I don’t know what’s going on with me today.”

“You’re annoyed because you’re sick,” Emma said as if it was normal. “That’s why I’m telling you, you need to go home and take a break.” 

Regina sighed, and then finally inclined her head. “You’re right.”

She stood to her feet, and moved around the desk toward Emma. When she wrapped her arms around the blonde’s waist, and pressed her face into her neck, she could feel tears burning into her eyes. 

“Okay, why don’t you get your stuff, I’ll call Mom,” Emma held on to Regina tightly. 

Regina hummed but didn’t want to move. Emma’s arms around her made her feel safe and loved. 

“Alright.” 

“We have to move, if we’re going to get you home.” Emma chuckled and then squeezed Regina one last time before she stepped back. 

Regina took a deep breath before she wiped at her cheeks. She didn’t remember the last time she cried for no reason at all. She didn’t understand. 

“You need to know, I don’t—I’m not like this.”

Emma laughed and then rolled her eyes. “I know this, Regina.” 

As Regina went to grab her coat, she could hear Emma talk to Snow on the phone. She sighed and then breathed again.

She pulled on her coat and turned toward the door, watching Emma as she spoke to her mother. 

What were the odds, that two of the women she was close with, had mentioned pregnancy? She didn’t remember the last time she’d felt sick, but this certainly didn’t feel like a normal stomach bug. 

She felt much better, now that she’d emptied her stomach and she wished she could just keep working. She just didn’t want anyone to think that there was more to this than a stomach bug. 

“Ready?” Emma asked, all of a sudden standing right in front of her. “Mom is on her way here so she’ll take over unless there’s something she needs help with. I told her to call me.”

“Isn’t it your day off?” Regina asked softly and Emma hummed. “Why are you taking care of me on your day off?”

“Hey,” Emma stopped Regina from turning and gently held her chin, to make sure that she didn’t look away. “You’re worth spending my free time on, and even if we weren’t dating I’d make sure you’re okay. Regina, you’re the mother of my child.” 

She blinked and almost stumbled back in her surprise, the words not making sense until she realized that Emma was talking about Henry.

“Right.” 

Emma winked. “Now, let’s get you home and in bed.” 

—SQ—

She leaned in, her thigh between Emma’s and her lips pressed against pale ones. There was a tingling in her stomach, moving down and settling between her legs when Emma returned the kiss with fervor. 

She wanted more— _ needed  _ more. 

She pushed herself flush against Emma, and smiled into the kiss when finally, Emma took control and pushed her on her back. 

With Emma’s knee now firmly between her legs, Regina moaned and rolled her hips. When the blonde broke the kiss to suck on her pulse point in her neck, it was all she could do not to magic away their clothes. 

“You’re so sexy,” Emma murmured against her throat before she moved down, slowly unbuttoning Regina’s blouse and trailing kisses after her hands. 

Regina hummed when Emma’s hands stopped, leaving the last buttons buttoned, and then moved back to her breasts. 

“Oh,” she moaned when Emma cupped her breasts. She was more sensitive than she’d ever been, and she wondered if it was because she was so attracted to Emma. 

“So responsive.”

Emma pressed a trail of hot, open mouthed kisses down to her breasts and then took a nipple in her mouth, gently sucking and using her tongue to lessen the sting. 

“Gods.”

Emma pulled and Regina gasped when instead of pleasure, it only brought pain. She pushed at Emma and gritted her teeth before Emma looked up at her, a frown of confusion on her face. 

“What’s wrong?”

Regina shook her head and pushed the heel of her hand against the bridge of her nose. 

“Nothing is wrong,” she murmured and sighed when Emma looked at her, unbelieving. “That hurt—and I’m exhausted.” 

“Are you thinking up excuses to not have sex with me already?” Emma said, her tone teasing as she laid down beside her. “Maybe we aren’t ready for it yet?” 

Regina huffed. “I’m ready, it’s just—”

Emma pulled her into her arms and pressed a kiss on her forehead. “It’s fine, I get it—we’re not in any rush, are we?” 

“No.” 

It still felt like she was rejecting Emma. She shifted and looked up at her, only seeing understanding in those green eyes. 

“Okay. Let’s just cuddle until Henry comes home, and then I’ll make sure you guys get fed.”

Regina hummed when her eyes closed, her eyelids too heavy. She knew she should tell Emma that she was fine to cook—she’d been fine before. She was  _ fine  _ now. 

“What time is it?” She asked softly, as if speaking louder killed the vibe in the room. 

Emma shifted beneath her and the movement made her stomach roll before it settled again. Regina sighed. 

“It’s two o’clock.”

Her core throbbed, but she knew she’d scared off Emma for now. She sighed, and she could practically feel her body getting heavy with sleep. 

“Tired.” 

“I know, sleep. It’s fine, I’ll be here,” Emma murmured and then pressed another kiss to Regina’s head. 

She fell asleep within seconds. 


	4. Chapter 4

_Her heart was thumping hard against her chest as Emma took her time kissing every inch of her body._

_She'd noticed the way Emma looked at her, lust filled eyes roaming her body, before lips followed._

" _You've changed," Emma murmured and then pressed a gentle kiss to the top of Regina's breasts, one after another. "You're more sensitive."_

_Regina hummed. "I've noticed."_

_She had. She didn't know what was going on with her, but she had gotten more sensitive to touch—even her own._

" _Maybe I really did get you pregnant that first time," Emma chuckled before she leaned down for a long, deep kiss._

_It was slow and lasted forever, but neither of them minded. Regina hummed against Emma's lips, and then slowly pulled back._

_Emma lazily presses a trail of kisses down, gently nibbling at her skin. Regina moaned as Emma found the sensitive skin near her collarbone._

" _If only it was possible."_

_Emma hummed against her, her hips pressed forward and Regina loved the feeling of the thick, throbbing cock against her stomach._

_Emma palmed one of her breasts. "Why am I dreaming this? Why do I want you pregnant so badly?" She pressed a kiss to the top of Regina's breast. "It feels heavier—bigger."_

" _You have a vivid imagination."_

_Regina blinked at the tears, wanting to stay in the moment as the dream seemed to overlap with reality more than the first time._

_Or maybe the first time she didn't think it was real, and now she did. Maybe she knew better now._

" _How long has it been? Eight weeks?" Emma moved to the other breast and Regina arched her back when she sucked on her nipple._

_She hummed. "Something like that."_

_She wanted Emma to stop talking. She wanted her to stop teasing and start kissing her again._

_Emma seemed to follow her train of thought, and smiled before she leaned up and kissed her again, shifting her weight around and settling herself between Regina's thighs._

" _I love how you feel," Emma murmured before she grinned down at Regina. "Last time I set the pace—why don't you take over this time?"_

_She surprised Regina, holding her against her body as she flipped them over so that Regina was on top._

_She sat up and rubbed herself against Emma's throbbing dick. "That's actually a great idea." She grinned down at the blonde, and teased her a little._

_Emma moaned. "You're so wet."_

" _I know," Regina replied. "All for you, darling."_

_She rolled her hips again and watched as Emma's eyes rolled back in her head, a moan slipping from her lips and her hands gripping Regina's waist tightly enough to leave marks._

" _That's good to know." Emma murmured huskily and Regina hummed in agreement. She moved again and reveled at the feeling of Emma against her. "Regina?"_

" _Yes, dear?"_

_Emma narrowed her eyes. "Stop teasing me."_

_Regina raised an eyebrow and smirked down at Emma. "Didn't you just say I should set the pace? This is me, setting the pace."_

_She kept rolling her hips, and Emma grunted as she jerked her hips up. "You don't even know what you do to me, woman."_

_Regina looked down again, a soft smile on her face as she took pity. "I think I do—you do the same to me."_

_She lifted herself, and took Emma's cock in her hand. She positioned them, and without further teasing, sank down and took Emma all the way._

_Emma grunted and her hips jerked, before she grabbed onto Regina's waist again and helped her as she started moving._

_Neither of them talked as they moved in tandem, their bodies in sync as much as possible. Regina could feel the orgasm build up low in her belly and she swallowed thickly as she moved a little faster._

_Emma took advantage of the position and moved her hand, using two fingers to circle Regina's clit._

_It didn't take her long to reach the peak. "_ Emma _!"_

_Her cunt fluttered around Emma's dick and her hips jerked. Wave after wave washed over her and she moaned when finally, her muscles relaxed._

_She only noticed that Emma had stopped moving, her dick throbbing within her, after she'd come down from her high._

" _Fuck, you're so sensitive this time." Emma pulled Regina down for a kiss and Regina hummed against her lips._

_She took a shaky breath, her heart pounding in her chest as she settled on top of Emma. She was only a little disappointed when her dick slipped out, causing her to shudder._

_She was more than sensitive._

" _How are you noticing all these things, when we haven't even had sex outside of these dreams?"_

_Emma shifted, and Regina tilted her head to look at the blonde. "I notice a lot."_

_Regina sighed. "Of course you do."_

She woke with a start, her stomach heaving and her mouth watering as bile rose in her throat.

She rushed to the bathroom, and emptied her stomach over the toilet as she moaned, her entire body hurting from the force of the dry heaves.

Her phone rang in her bedroom and she knew it was Emma. Emma, who'd had the same dream and would have called to check if Regina did too.

Even though she'd lied about it last time.

Eight weeks ago.

Regina cleared her throat and swallowed thickly, her head throbbing as the thoughts assaulted her.

Why did it hurt so much? Why did a dream get to her in the way it did? When was she going to be able to let go that she _couldn't_ get pregnant?

She brushed her teeth and took a quick shower to wash away the stickiness between her thighs.

Luckily for her, it was a Saturday and she didn't have any plans. She dressed in leggings and a loose shirt before she grabbed her phone and made her way to the kitchen.

It was still too early for Henry to be up, and Regina knew this was the moment to talk to Emma about the dreams.

Maybe it was time to start some research.

She'd just put a piece of bread in the toaster when her phone rang again, somehow conveying the eagerness behind it.

She answered the phone, and put it on speaker. "Emma, what can I do for you, on the lovely early morning?"

"Tell me you had the same dream? There is no way— _no way_ —that I was alone in that."

Regina almost laughed, but managed to control herself as she looked at the picture on her phone. "I don't know what you're talking about, darling."

"The dream! It's too real, Regina. I was all sticky when I woke up!" Emma blurted out and Regina chuckled at that. "It's not funny. Maybe I just—fuck, I don't even understand."

Regina sobered at the confusion in Emma's voice. She blinked and took a deep breath.

"Alright, why don't you come over today and we can talk about what's going on? You're saying you had another one of those—explicit dreams?"

"Regina," Emma whined and muttered something under her breath. "Are you admitting you've had the same dream?"

For a moment she considered doing just that. And then she thought the better of it—it would only urge Emma along and she knew that Emma would not let go of the possibility of a pregnancy.

She couldn't handle that in the dream, it would only be worse when she carried it over to real life.

No matter how real the dreams were.

"No. What I'm saying is—if you really think that the dreams are more reality than imagination, I can do some research."

Emma mumbled again before she sighed. "I can't believe you don't have the same dreams."

Regina hummed with a smile on her face. "Me either, darling. They sound intense." The toaster pushed up her bread and she turned to put it on a plate. "Will you drop Henry off at the shelter today?"

After their talk at the beach, Henry had taken to going to the shelter to volunteer every Saturday morning. She felt her heart swell with pride and she swallowed thickly again when her throat tightened.

"Oh—damn right I am. I'm enjoying these mornings with you," Emma replied quickly and then chuckled. "I feel like a horny teenager today though."

"I'm sure you do, after that dream," Regina said without missing a beat. "I'm very close to an enchantment that will help my body transition more easily when I go over the town line. Maybe next week we can all go to that beach Henry was talking about a couple of weeks ago."

"Oh, that's awesome," Henry said from behind her and Regina turned to face him, a smile on her face. "More magic!" He added sarcastically.

"Henry—" Emma started.

"Alright, sweetheart, I get it. You don't like it when I use magic, but you want to go to Boston for the beach," Regina talked over Emma and she narrowed her eyes. "Are you saying you don't want _me_ to come along?"

Henry recoiled and shook his head, his eyes wide. "No, of course I want you to come along. I just don't see why you have to use magic to come along."

Regina clenched her jaw. "Emma."

"Yes?" Emma sounded apprehensive and Regina couldn't blame her.

"Next week, we'll go to the beach regardless of the enchantment I'm working on." She kept her eyes narrowed and on Henry. "I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Regina—"

"Will you come pick up our son so that he can spend his day at the shelter, please?" She didn't wait for Emma to respond, but ended the call. "Get ready to leave, Henry. I'll make you breakfast."

"Mom—"

Regina took a deep breath through her nose.

"Go, Henry."

She blinked against the tears that burned in her eyes and frowned, but kept herself together long enough. When she heard him stomp up the stairs, she wiped at the tears that suddenly spilled over.

She grunted in frustration and quickly set to making Henry his breakfast, her frustration making her movements stilted.

Emma appeared behind her after just a moment, and if she'd been paying attention she'd have been proud of Emma using her magic.

"Regina," Emma murmured as she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around Regina.

"It's fine," Regina replied, her voice shaky. "He doesn't see it, it's fine."

"He doesn't, but I get why you're frustrated." Emma turned Regina around and she tilted her head. "You don't have to hurt yourself to prove him that it's necessary."

Regina shook her head and leaned back against the counter. Emma didn't let go of her, but stepped even closer. She wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist and sighed.

She wet her lips and then bit her lower lip. "I just want him to be happy, Emma. I don't want him to get angry because I used magic, I don't want him to pull away again." She closed her eyes and shuddered at the thought. "I honestly don't think I can handle that again."

She melted when Emma pulled her closer and wrapped her arms around her, and her throat tightened. She clenched her jaw against more tears, wondering when she'd turned weak, crying about everything.

"You're alright, he's not going to pull away. He _loves_ you, Regina. He doesn't want to lose you." She pressed a kiss against Regina's temple. "We are not going to go out of town again before you have something that will make it easier."

Regina nodded her head and sighed as she leaned against Emma. She took a moment to simply enjoy the way Emma felt against her and then she leaned back.

"I need to finish his breakfast," she said softly. The eggs she'd been ready to scramble we're still waiting for her and time was running out.

She sighed and turned in Emma's arms, and couldn't help but feel disappointed when Emma let her go.

The moment the smell of eggs rose up from the pan, her stomach clenched and she stepped back, a hand pressed against it.

"What's wrong?"

She shook her head and swallowed. The bile rose in her throat anyway. "Take over, please."

Not waiting for a reply, she hurried to the bathroom and dry heaved over the toilet. She hadn't even touched her toast, so there was nothing left in her stomach.

She rinsed out her mouth and splashed some cold water on her face before she looked up in the mirror. Her head was pounding.

When she returned, Henry sat at the breakfast bar, eating his eggs and drinking a cup of milk. Regina shakily leaned against the counter, rubbing two fingers against her forehead.

"What's going on?" Emma asked softly, and Regina shrugged. "If I didn't know any better, I'd really say you're pregnant."

"I can't _get_ pregnant, dear," she snapped before she took a deep breath. Her stomach was still unsettled. "You've said this before—your dream isn't that real."

"Maybe you should get checked out, then." Emma glanced at Henry, who shoveled his food into his mouth as if he hadn't eaten in years. "I'm worried, you've been throwing up lately and you're tired."

"That doesn't automatically mean I'm pregnant." But her brain couldn't let go of the idea Emma had planted.

Even though it hurt, there were thoughts of this being a pregnancy instead of a simple stomach bug or even a complicated disease.

She couldn't let go of the idea even though she knew it wasn't possible. The potion she'd taken made sure that she couldn't ever conceive.

She _really_ needed to do some research on the dreamworld.

"Of course not," Emma murmured, her cheeks pink. "That would mean you'd have cheated on me—and I honestly don't believe that for a second."

Regina pursed her lips and gestured toward Henry. "It's time to bring him to the shelter, dear."

Henry stood and made his way over to her, wrapping her in a tight hug. "I'm sorry Mom."

"It's alright, sweetheart." She pressed him close for a moment before she pushed him toward Emma. She _needed_ a moment, her emotions still getting the best of her. "Have fun today."

When they were gone—having taken the Benz because Emma hadn't thought about it when she'd magicked over—Regina made her way to her study.

Ever since the curse had been broken, she had kept her most important magic books at home—especially because she couldn't just magic them into her hand from the vault. She didn't trust people not to find a way to get into it.

She pulled out a couple of relevant ones—ones that focused on dreams and different realms—and sat down on the couch, her legs pulled under her.

Her head was pounding, but she didn't want to push back the research anymore. She needed to know what these dreams were, and how she shared them with Emma.

She leaned her head back, her eyes closed as she rubbed her hand over her forehead. She felt like she was losing her mind—it had been the third time that Emma or her mother had brought up pregnancy.

What if those dreams weren't really dreams?

She knew there was no way she could get pregnant and it hurt whenever it was brought up, but she couldn't blame Emma. She couldn't blame Emma for thinking the dreams were more real than they should be.

The dreams did feel more than that. They felt real in a way that even Regina had never heard of. But then again, she'd been taught by Rumpelstiltskin, and he only taught what he thought was important.

She sighed and lifted her head, her eyes burning. She reached for the first book as the door to the mansion opened and closed. Not long after, she could hear someone walking toward the study.

"Regina," Emma's voice reached her just as Emma appeared into the doorway. "What are you doing?"

Regina shrugged and lifted the book she was holding. "The dreams—they aren't normal dreams and I would like to know what they are."

"Do you think they could be like—dangerous?"

Emma shrugged out of her jacket and then sat down beside Regina, turned toward her.

"No," Regina shook her head. "I don't think they are harmful. I'm just wondering what they are."

Emma hummed and then leaned forward and grabbed one of the books of the little pile Regina had created.

"So what am I looking for? Just—dreams and everything to do with that?" She asked before she leaned back and opened the book.

"Yes. Dreams and dream realms, spells involving dreams," Regina replied distractedly as she opened her own book and started skimming through it.

Emma looked up, a frown on her face. "Wait, spells?"

"Yes, dear. Spells. We are in a town that has acquired quite the group of witches as of late."

Emma huffed before she turned the page, and then another. "Do you think any of them would want to give me sex dreams about you?"

Regina chuckled. "No, darling. I don't believe any of them has any idea how to make that happen. I'd just like to cover all bases. If there _is_ a spell, we'll know."

"And what then? Find a way to protect me against it?"

"Yes, preferably." Regina looked up from the passage she was reading with a sigh. "Now, please concentrate, and show me when you find _anything_ that seems interesting."

They spent a while like that—reading and sharing anything interesting, until Regina stumbled along a passage about dream realms.

She gasped as she felt the blood drain from her face.

"Regina?"

"I found it—at least I think so." Regina cleared her throat as she read through it again, her heart beating painfully in her chest. "There are dream realms where the impossible is possible. It looks like yours—yours is one of them."

"Okay. Is that why I dream of getting you pregnant? Does this simply mean that it isn't me, in that dream?"

"No." Regina sighed as her stomach clenched. She knew exactly what it meant, but she wasn't willing to admit it to Emma yet—not until she could confirm it. "What it means is that you've been dreaming you have the means to get me pregnant."

"Yes," Emma narrowed her eyes. "With a spell that's possible, right?"

Regina hummed. "Yes, but you wouldn't be able to impregnate anyone with what's basically just a toy."

Emma puffed out a breath. "Magic can be so confusing."

"What don't you get, darling?" Regina asked softly. She turned her body toward Emma.

"Oh, I get it—I think. What you're saying is that I'm dreaming up the impossible in a realm where it is possible."

Regina took a deep breath and then hummed.

"That's one way to explain it."

"So what next?" Emma asked.

"Next? We let it go, Emma. There's nothing we can do to stop you from going there in your dreams unless you want me to find a way to make something. I just—there's no harm in it, right?"

She swallowed.

"You're right." Emma smiled, and scooted a little closer. Regina leaned into Emma, closing her eyes as arms wrapped around her.

"You're comfortable," she murmured as she settled into the embrace. Emma chuckled and Regina could feel herself getting heavy as she relaxed. "I'm exhausted."

"What time were you up?"

"I don't even—I was up early." Like every morning for at least the past week. "I'll be fine, I just need to rest my eyes for a moment."

"Why don't you take a nap, I'll make sure I'll get Henry, and keep him busy for a while so that you can sleep?"

"I don't want you to move," Regina murmured and she sighed. "But if you have to—"

She could hardly focus on anything that happened around her. Emma's voice trembled in her chest. "It's okay. I'll be here."

—SQ—

The box said the best time was in the mornings—and even better would be the first time you went to the bathroom.

So while she'd wanted to do it on Sunday, she had to wait. Emma had dropped by unannounced before she could even wake up properly, and Henry had asked for a quiet day in.

They had watched movies all day, even though her mind hadn't been present. All she could think about was that test that lay upstairs in her bathroom.

Regina had never done a pregnancy test before. She'd never _needed_ it before.

Pregnancies in the old world were different—there were ways to find out early, but usually the only way to find out was to know your cycle and count.

Before the potion, she'd had a couple of scares. She'd been with the king for most of them.

After, though, even her menses had stopped and she knew there was nothing she could do to bring that or her fertility back. She'd hurt herself more than she'd ever been able to hurt her mother.

She stared down at the little stick that she'd placed on the sink. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest as nausea churned in her stomach.

Time was almost up—she'd know for sure that she wasn't pregnant. Because it wasn't even _possible_.

But then again, she'd shared the dreams with Emma. She'd felt the change in her body, already. She'd noticed the tiredness and the queasiness.

The timer on her phone beeped and she closed her eyes, her shoulders tense. She wanted to forget about the whole thing and laugh it off.

Emma would never have to know that it _had_ been a shared dream if she wasn't pregnant.

But she already knew, even without looking at the stick, that she was.

She opened her eyes and stood to her feet, ignoring the way her stomach clenched. She glanced at the stick and pursed her lips.

Tears streamed down her face as she stared at the plus sign. She didn't bother asking herself how it was possible—there was no explanation beside it having happened in the dream realm.

She was pregnant.


	5. Chapter 5

Her first thought had been to call Emma, to scream at her because she didn't know how it was possible that her body had accepted this.

She couldn't tell Emma, though. Not until she was absolutely sure what it meant and if it was sustainable. She'd never held a pregnancy before, no matter how hard she'd tried.

Everything in her body hurt with the tension it held. So she did the next best thing—she took a long hot shower and got ready for her day.

When she got to Town Hall, she breathed a sigh of relief. Snow wasn't there yet, which meant she had time to get some actual work done until she arrived.

But her focus wasn't on paperwork.

She leaned back in her chair and laced her fingers together over her stomach. She looked down at her hands, wondering how she'd missed the signs.

She knew—she wasn't supposed to conceive after she'd taken that potion. The potion was supposed to protect her and her children from her mother, but in the end it had hurt her more than it had hurt Cora.

And here she was, a positive pregnancy test the only proof, her mind a mess.

She took a deep breath and then clenched her jaw. She'd have to tell Emma she'd lied about not having the same dream.

They'd have to tell Henry.

A tear slipped down her cheek. Henry wouldn't like the fact that magic had caused this pregnancy. Her throat tightened at the thought of his anger.

She clenched her jaw and turned on her computer. She would be productive in at least _one_ aspect in her life. She waited for her computer to start up, one hand still pressed to her stomach and her eyes closed.

She didn't _hear_ the door open. She didn't notice that someone had joined her until the leather of the visitors chair creaked.

She opened her eyes and sucked in a breath, her heart skipping a beat as she stared at Snow, who was watching her with a frown on her face.

"What?" She snapped. She reached up to wipe at her cheeks, the salty tears leaving tracks on her face. "I—I haven't slept in weeks."

Snow raised a brow. "Okay."

Regina huffed before she turned toward her computer. It had finally finished starting up and she blinked as she tried to remember what she was about to do.

And then she glanced at Snow, who couldn't exactly see the screen unless she stood and leaned forward.

For a moment, she debated whether she was going to take the risk and go to Whale, or search the web for an OB outside of town. Both had risks, though.

She looked back at the screen and then back at Snow, and sighed. When the pixie haired woman looked up, Regina leaned back in her chair.

"Henry has been distant," she blurted out before she could stop herself. It was a truth, just not the one she wanted to share. She really _wanted_ to be able to talk to someone about her positive pregnancy test, but she _knew_ it couldn't be Snow.

She trusted her, but not with a secret this big.

Snow hummed. "Is that because you're dating Emma?"

"I don't think so." Regina shook her head. "No, it has to do with magic. A couple of weeks ago, he wanted to go to a beach near Boston—but I—crossing the town line affects my magic."

"Emma told me about that," Snow replied gently. "Does Henry know? I'm sure you guys told him how it affects you."

Regina took a deep breath and nodded. "We told him, and I told him I'd enchant something so that I could go over without too much issues. That's when he got angry."

Snow pursed her lips. "He doesn't want you to use magic any more than necessary."

"He doesn't think it's necessary for me to be able to enjoy the time I spent outside of town?"

It hurt to even think that he didn't care about her wellbeing as much as he did about Emma's, or even Snow's.

"I don't think he sees it that way. What happens when you cross the townline? Does it hurt?"

Regina hummed, her throat tight. "Yes. It makes me sick, Snow. I spent the date with Emma queasy, and that was only a couple of hours."

"Then enchant something so that you can leave town. Henry needs to understand that a magical being probably can't live comfortably without magic."

Regina blinked at Snow in surprise. "I never thought I'd see the day—you actually agree with me in something that involves magic."

Snow tittered. "Regina, I think that Henry needs to learn to see that, regardless of how _he_ feels about magic, _we_ come from a world where it's normal to have magic and to use it. It's ingrained into the land and everyone living in it."

"I don't know how to make that clear to him," Regina choked out. "I can't help but use magic even if it's small things like—like magic over a pen when I need to write something. It's not—I just don't want to hurt anyone."

"Well, I'm sure you will figure it out. And you have Emma to help you, right? I mean, she doesn't need it as much as you do—because she never grew up with it—but she uses it from time to time."

The conversation stopped there and Regina leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

They worked in silence for the rest of the morning. Snow moved to the conference table with the majority of the paperwork that needed to be done while Regina sent out emails and called people on the list.

At the end of the morning, Snow left. She only worked half days and she only helped on Monday, except for when Regina asked for help.

Which she never did.

With the office to herself, Regina turned to her computer. She'd forgotten all about the plans to make an appointment, but with the silence of being alone, she couldn't think of anything else.

She gritted her teeth as tears of frustration sprang into her eyes. She didn't know what she wanted to do and she hated it.

Back in the old world she had someone at her beck and call for every ailment—even her pregnancies.

She opened her eyes, her heart thumping in her chest at the thought. Of course, her old world physician was here too—and she was a doctor.

There might be a chance that Brittany Robbins would help her even if pregnancy wasn't her specialization.

It didn't take her long to find a phone number registered to Brittany, and she didn't waste any time dialing the number.

"Brittany," the voice on the other end sounded cautiously and Regina took a deep breath.

"This is Regina Mills."

A silence greeted her and for a moment she thought Brittany might actually hang up on her. She tried to think of any wrongdoings on her part, but couldn't think of any.

Her heart sped up, and she was about to hang up when Brittany spoke. "Miss Mills. What can I do for you?" It was soft and gentle and more than she'd expected.

Her throat closed up. "I'd like to know if you are accepting patients—I need someone discreet for the time being and—I thought maybe you would be willing to help."

"Of course. You know I'm a neonatal surgeon right? I know the basics like every other doctor, but my specialty is in babies."

"That's perfect," Regina replied. "When do you have a spot for me?"

There was a moment where the only sound to be heard was a rustling of paper. She couldn't believe her luck—but maybe she'd been more aware of what she needed than she'd realized.

"I can fit you in this afternoon at four, and if you decide you want me to help you we can make sure I'll have time for you."

"Thank you, Brittany. This means a lot," she replied and quickly wiped at her cheek when a tear slipped down. "I'll see you then."

"See you then."

The silence that settled over her was pressing her down and she swallowed thickly as she stood to her feet. She paced her office for a moment, her mind racing as she wondered on her luck.

She knew she'd want Brittany Robbins to be her doctor. The only thing that worried her, was that the doctor knew about her past.

Would she bring it up?

She sat back down, already doubting if she'd made the right decision.

—SQ—

After an hour of talking herself out of canceling, she was more than happy to see Emma when she barged into her office.

It had become somewhat of a standard for Emma to barge in unannounced. Regina had gotten used to it during the first year she had gotten to town, but after they had started dating it had increased.

Not that she minded.

"So Mom just came home, talking about how you wanted to leave town," Emma said with a smile as Regina stood to her feet.

A wave of dizziness washed over her and she leaned forward, gripping the desk until her knuckles turned white. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"She's really good at telling secrets—what I wanted was to get away before you noticed," she said after the spinning stopped and she could look up at Emma.

The worry written all over Emma was almost comical. If she didn't know why she was dizzy, she would've been worried too.

"What's going on?" Emma asked as she rounded the desk and pulled her into an embrace.

"I haven't really eaten lunch yet." She'd been too worried about what she might find out with Brittany. "I haven't really had the time yet."

She melted into the warmth that Emma offered and she closed her eyes. It had been a while since she'd felt this safe with anyone.

"We should go to Granny's, have a late lunch."

"I can't." She didn't know how to tell Emma that she had to go to the hospital. She didn't even know how to tell Emma what was going on with her. "But thank you for the offer."

"Oh," Emma blinked as she pulled back and then narrowed her eyes. "What are you eating, then?"

She sighed before she turned in Emma's arms and opened a drawer in her desk. It was the one where she kept her stash of candy—and also where she kept at least one energy bar.

"I'll have an energy bar. Darling, I've been taking care of myself for thirty years in this world. I know what I need."

"I'm not saying you don't. I'm just worried." Emma pulled her back in her arms and pressed a kiss to her neck. "You've been sick, and Henry keeps saying that he hears you throw up in the mornings."

She turned in Emma's arms, and wrapped her own arms around Emma's neck. A soft smile lifted the corners of her lips.

"I'm fine, Emma. I promise you."

She licked her lips and then leaned forward, pressing her lips against Emma's. Emma didn't waste any time deepening the kiss, pulling her even closer and then moving them back.

When her butt bumped into her desk, she hummed against Emma's lips. She didn't want to move, and she definitely didn't want to break the kiss.

But Emma pulled back, breathing heavily. "I know what you're doing."

She grinned, lacing her fingers together and pulling Emma closer again. "Is it working? Now I'm dizzy for a different reason."

"Regina," Emma sighed, and then shook her head. "You know what, I want you to sit down and eat that bar right here, okay?"

Emma settled in the visitors chair, and Regina slowly ate the energy bar. Her stomach was still upset and the nerves weren't making it any better, but she _was_ kind of hungry.

When she was halfway done, she put it down and shook her head. She was full—another bite and she would probably lose everything she'd just eaten.

"I'll eat the rest later," she said and Emma raised a brow. Annoyance made her stomach churn and she breathed deeply through her nose. "I have a meeting. I think it's time for you to go."

Emma blinked, confusion written on her face.

"Regina? What's going on?"

"You should leave—I'm busy." She stood, slowly this time and she leaned on her desk. "I will probably see you tonight. We can talk then."

Emma stood to her feet, still confused and leaned forward to give Regina another kiss. She pulled back, and Emma huffed before she turned around and stalked out of the office.

Regina bit her lip, breathing heavily as she pushed back her tears. She waited, until she heard the Bug drive off through her open window.

She grabbed her coat and bag. Her appointment with the doctor was in thirty minutes, and she didn't want to wait any longer.

Her heart thudded in her chest, and she did her best to calm down as she made her way to her car.

She didn't even know _why_ she had sent Emma away like that. Somehow, her annoyance and her nerves got the best of her and she had taken it out on Emma.

And all the blonde had tried to do was make sure she had eaten.

She sighed and then pulled away from the curb. The entire ride to the hospital—which was only fifteen minutes—she beat herself up over pushing Emma away.

It was as if it was all she could do—push away the people she loved. She wanted to forgo the appointment at the hospital and go back to the sheriff's station to apologize.

She was so deep in thought that she parked the car near the hospital, and made her way inside on auto pilot. She only looked up when someone touched her shoulder, pulling her out of her thoughts.

Brittany Robbins was a blonde, blue eyed woman in her late forties, the skin around her eyes showing how much she smiled.

"Miss Mills," she said softly. "Come with me."

She followed the doctor into her office and sat down when she gestured toward the chair.

Brittany waited patiently as she sat down next to Regina. For a moment, nothing was said and she took deep, calming breaths as she looked at the familiar and trusted doctor.

She swallowed. "I'm pregnant." Her throat tightened—it was the first time she'd said the words and her eyes burned with tears. "It's—it's impossible but I'm pregnant."

Brittany hummed, her smile becoming even more gentle. "You're worried?"

"You know my history with pregnancy." Regina looked down at her hands and pushed back the memories that tried to take over. "I just—I need to know it's real."

"Why wouldn't it be real?"

"If I'm pregnant, it's because Emma and I visited a dream realm together." She almost smiled at the confusion on Brittany's face. "I didn't know it was even possible, but I should have because I have a book with a passage about it."

"I've never heard of it manifested into real life, but I knew about dream realms and the reality of them." The doctor stood to her feet and held out a hand. "Come. I'll need a urine sample so that we can confirm the pregnancy, and then I'll take some blood."

After an hour, Regina was back at her car, her pregnancy confirmed and blood taken to make sure that her hormone levels were the way they should be.

Before she could even start the car, her phone buzzed on the passenger's seat. She glanced down, and clenched her jaw when guilt washed over her at the sight of Emma's name.

"Emma," she breathed, her throat tightening around the name. "I'm sorry for earlier." Her voice broke, and she bit her lip to hold in the sob.

She wanted to cry—she wanted to be able to break down and seek comfort but she had pushed away the only person she wanted that from.

"Hey," Emma said gently. "It's fine, we're fine."

She hummed and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself a little as she let Emma's words sink in. "Okay."

"I have Henry at home, and he was asking if we could order in today. I just wanted to ask you if you're okay with that?"

"Of course. I'm on my way home now, I can pick something up if you'd like?" She glanced at the time and then shook her head. "Too early, I'm assuming."

"Well, yea," Emma said softly. "I also want to give you the night off tonight. So, come home so that you can relax."

"Alright, darling," she replied, her eyes burning with more tears. "I'll be right there."

—SQ—

They ended up ordering pizzas. Henry had been begging Regina for them for weeks, but even her homemade pizzas weren't good enough.

After dinner, he hugged her tightly and then thanked her, before making his way up to his room to make his homework.

Emma cleared the table, refusing any help from Regina. "You've been busy today, haven't you? Why don't you take a shower and change into something comfortable, and we can watch a movie or something."

So, Regina took a shower. She hadn't really had time to think about the changes that she'd felt in her body, but she stood under the hot stream of the shower and she looked down at her body.

The veins in her breasts were more prominent and—as Emma had pointed out in the dream—they felt fuller and more tender.

She blew out a breath as she quickly washed and rinsed. When she stepped out of the shower, she wrapped her towel around her body and made her way to her room.

Her body had been changing for a while, and she hadn't even noticed. She had been too busy denying that she could even conceive after that potion, that she hadn't noticed the clear signs.

After she'd gotten dressed in comfortable clothes, she made her way down the stairs.

Emma was sprawled over the couch, her phone in her hand, typing away at the screen.

"What movie did you want to watch?" Regina asked as she lifted Emma's legs and slipped onto the couch before Emma settled them back over her legs.

Emma put her phone on the coffee table. "I didn't actually have anything in mind, I just wanted to spend the evening with you in my arms."

Her heart jumped and she wet her lips as she glanced at the blonde. "Why don't you stay the night, then?"

They had been dating for almost two months, but Emma had been very respectful. She never asked to stay, and she never assumed she could either.

She smiled, and then nodded her head. "I'd love that." She sat up, and grabbed the remote before she held out her arms. "Come here."

Regina shifted and leaned into Emma while taking a deep, steadying breath. When they were settled, Emma turned on the TV.

"I'd like something comedic, if you don't mind."

Emma hummed as she scrolled through the menu. After she'd picked out a comedy movie, she turned her attention to Regina and ran a hand through her hair.

"Do you want to tell me what's bothering you?" Emma asked gently. "The way you sent me away earlier—I understand now that you were feeling some type of way, but that really hurt my feelings."

Regina sat up, her eyes welling up with tears as her throat closed around them. "I'm sorry, that wasn't my intention."

"I know." Emma narrowed her eyes. "There's something bothering you, and I want to help you. I feel like the worst girlfriend, not knowing what I can do to make you feel better."

She swallowed and then swallowed again as a lump lodged in her throat. She wondered if she wanted to cry because of the hormones, or because she was afraid she'd messed up before they even really started their lives together.

"I need—I need a little more time, please?"

Emma watched her for a moment. She didn't want to move but with the way Emma was staring at her, it felt like she was looking straight into her soul.

"Okay." Emma inclined her head and held out her arms. She settled into them again, and closed her eyes.

She fell asleep, listening to Emma's heartbeat against her ear.


	6. Chapter 6

Work was hard to concentrate on as she waited for the results of the blood tests.

She knew it was just to make sure that everything was okay—and if it wasn't, her doctor would have already called her.

Still, she was worried.

The only other pregnancy she'd gone through, she hadn't been able to sustain and there was no reason as to why it shouldn't happen with this one.

It had been a rough time in her life for more reasons than the miscarriage, but it stayed with her only because of it.

She pressed her hand against her belly, her stomach clenching. She wondered when the nausea would stop—she didn't even have it every morning. She just felt like throwing up whenever she needed to be strong.

"Miss Mills?"

She glanced up, her eyes locking with Emma's worried eyes across the table before she blinked and turned toward the man who'd called out.

"Yes?"

"The threat he poses worries me," he said and she frowned, confusion clear on her face. "Captain Hook. He's returned, his ship is anchored and it doesn't seem like he's leaving anytime soon."

She glanced back at Emma, surprised that she hadn't mentioned it before, and swallowed when her stomach heaved.

She couldn't get angry about Emma keeping something from her—especially not because she was holding something back too.

"We'll have the Sheriff's station keep an eye on him as long as he's in town. What worries you about his stay?"

"He helped outsiders get in—he helped them torture you." The man frowned in confusion at her indifference, and she took another deep breath.

Images of years ago assaulted her brain and she could feel her stomach heave again.

"I remember." She pursed her lips when she heard the shakiness in her voice and stood to her feet. Nausea overwhelmed her. "If you'll excuse me," she choked out.

When her stomach heaved again, she hurried out of her office. She sank down on the ground in front of the toilet just in time and dry heaved over it.

Her muscles cramped up and she whimpered, before her stomach clenched again. She hadn't felt this bad during her first pregnancy—maybe because she had too much to worry about besides it.

It wasn't long before the door to the bathroom opened, and she looked up at Emma with her eyes burning.

"Are you okay?" She asked as she kneeled down behind Regina, a worried frown on her face.

Regina clenched her jaw, took a deep breath and then inclined her head. "Yes."

Emma watched her for a moment, her eyes narrowed. "Why are you sick?"

"Probably because I skipped breakfast." Regina swallowed and then grimaced at the taste in her mouth. "It's not because I'm afraid of Hook."

"I hadn't even thought about Hook—are we worried he's up to something?" She slowly leaned back. "I mean, they were right in there—he did help kidnap and torture you."

Regina leaned back against Emma and sighed, her throat burning. "When did he dock?"

She wasn't worried, unless he was working with someone. He never was the kind of person to initiate anything—he'd follow a leader.

"About a week ago. He hasn't even been around town—that's why I haven't really bothered you with it. He keeps to himself."

"I'm not worried," Regina murmured as she closed her eyes and covered Emma's hand over her stomach. "He'd have done something if he was planning anything—and he's only a threat if he's working with someone."

Emma hummed and her fingers flexed against Regina's stomach. It was all Regina could do not to blurt it out right there, the words on the tip of her tongue.

She just wanted to wait until she was absolutely sure. She didn't trust her own body to tell her what was going on, especially because there still was a big part of her that was convinced that it was something else entirely.

Something bad.

The potion had made sure that there was absolutely no way that she could have conceived—not even in the dream realm. Not even where the impossible became possible.

Her attention snapped back to Emma, who was watching her with narrowed eyes.

"Okay. If you're not worried, I'm not worried."

"Good."

Emma hummed. "So why don't you go home? If you're not feeling well, you should go home and rest."

Regina sighed. Emma had stayed with them the past two nights and she had actually enjoyed waking up with the blonde lying next to her.

"I have things to do, darling. This wasn't the only meeting I have today. I promise, if it gets worse, I'll go home."

"What about lunch?" Emma tried.

"You know what? That's a great idea—I still want to stay here though. You can pick something up if you'd like," Regina replied and Emma rolled her eyes.

"Okay. What would you like?" She leaned back against the wall as Regina rinsed her mouth.

Regina straightened up and crossed her arms, wincing when she felt a sting in her breasts. She had gotten so much more sensitive and she knew that only meant good things—and it still worried her.

With her mind on food, she blinked as she realized what it was that she wanted. "Grilled cheese."

"Wait, really?" Emma asked with a grin. "You have been giving me hell about them and now you want a grilled cheese sandwich? Regina—"

She narrowed her eyes and grunted, cutting Emma off effectively. "I know, alright? It's not like I'm just throwing something out there—I'm actually craving a grilled cheese sandwich."

Emma held back another smile and inclined her head. "Okay, I'll go pick us up some lunch."

After Emma had left, Regina made her way back to her office and sat down behind her desk. Her eyes felt heavy and she closed them—only for a minute.

Her eyes snapped open when her phone vibrated against her desk and she huffed when she picked it up.

The hospital.

"This is Regina Mills speaking."

"Regina, Brittany Robbins here. I have the results of your blood tests—as a courtesy I'm telling you that everything is fine. Though I would recommend adding some iron to your diet—it's a little low."

Regina swallowed as she let relief wash over her. Everything was _fine_. And then dread settled—now she had to find a way to tell Emma, about the dreams and the impossible pregnancy.

"Thank you, Brittany. I really appreciate you calling me," Regina replied. "I'll keep an eye out for my iron, is there anything else I need to worry about?"

"No, but given your history I'd like to make sure we keep a close eye on how you develop—which means if you feel like something is wrong, you come to me."

"Of course. This is going to be nerve wracking for me," Regina admitted softly, and then she sighed. "Thank you again. I will see you in three weeks."

"See you then, Regina."

When she looked up, Emma was right in front of her, a frown of confusion on her face. Regina felt her heart sink, and swallowed thickly.

"What's going to be nerve wracking?"

She blinked and then shook her head. "Don't worry, darling. I've just made an appointment with my physician—weren't you going to suggest that I do?"

Emma shrugged and then put the bag she was holding on the desk. "I was going to suggest you do a pregnancy test. Whatever is going on, you're either pregnant or sick and the first seems more plausible because—well, you want grilled cheese." She winked.

Regina rolled her eyes and opened the bag, pulling out two grilled cheese sandwiches and a salad.

"Firstly, how would I get pregnant when I'm dating you? And secondly, I _can't_ get pregnant." Her heart hurt, but she couldn't tell Emma yet.

Emma hummed and lifted a brow. "I told you, my dreams were really real. Do you have to have had them for them to actually—"

"Wait," Regina held up her hand and stood to her feet a little unsteadily. "You're asking me if your dreams could've made me pregnant even if I wasn't there to dream it with you?"

When Emma nodded, Regina almost laughed—of course Emma would stay focused on her dreams—and then pursed her lips.

"The impossible becomes possible, right?"

Regina sighed, and pinched the bridge of her nose. Her heart skipped a beat when she looked up at Emma, hope shining on her face. "Stop."

"What? Regina—"

"I can't get pregnant." Her voice sounded shrill, and she swallowed before she sat back down, her mind trying to understand—she already was pregnant and it had been confirmed _twice_ , and she still denied it. "I need you to stop bringing it up, Emma."

Emma watched her for a moment and she pursed her lips before she reached for one of the sandwiches. She wasn't even hungry anymore.

"So, what's next on the agenda?"

—SQ—

Regina stumbled toward her bed, her body heavy with exhaustion and her muscles tensed.

She hadn't been able to sleep much, her fear and worry about the pregnancy keeping her up at night, and waking her up too early in the morning.

She'd called in to work, and then Snow. She needed a day where she could simply sleep, and enjoy the quiet.

It had been a week since she'd found out that she was pregnant and it was already giving her heartburn. She wondered when she started hating keeping secrets, especially for the people she loved.

She held the towel against her chest and lay down on her bed. She moved, then winced when her breasts stung.

After having sent off Henry, and having watched Emma leave, she'd gone back upstairs and had taken a long, hot shower.

It had softened her muscles a little, but she knew there were knots that needed to be massaged out—she just didn't want anyone to touch her.

"So this is what you do when we leave," Emma said as she moved into the room. Regina opened her eyes, and hummed when they closed again on their own accord.

"Yes." She took a breath and then rolled onto her back, her head toward Emma. "What are you doing here?"

"I was worried—you've been tense all week and I wanted to try and see if we could—you know, connect."

"Connect?"

Emma smiled and sat down next to her on the bed. "We've been seeing each other for about eight weeks now, right? Spending every moment we can together."

"Yes."

"And while we do a lot of cuddling, and kissing—mostly kissing—we haven't really had time alone, not after our date. And so I thought maybe, we could connect."

And then Regina understood. She smiled and gestured for Emma to lay down beside her. She waited until the blonde had settled, laying down on her side and facing Regina.

"I know things have been," she paused as she tried to find the right word. She shook her head then. "Besides the kissing we've been going slow."

"Yea," Emma replied, her cheeks flushed. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I love spending time with you the way we are—"

Regina turned on her side and ran a nail gently up and down Emma's arm. She smiled when she shivered. "You need more?"

Emma widened her eyes and then blinked. "I feel like a teenage boy around you, and that's not just because of my dreams."

Her hand moved to Emma's shoulder, and then her neck and then she was cupping her cheek, her own body reacting to her close proximity.

"Why don't you get dressed in something comfortable, and join me?" She suggested before she pressed a kiss to Emma's lips. When she pulled back, Emma had her eyes closed. "I _have_ been tense, and I think it might be nice to have someone give me a massage."

The bed moved, and Emma moved around the room, changing into something more comfortable, while Regina rolled onto her stomach and sighed as she closed her eyes again.

Emma was right, they hadn't had time to actually connect—they'd taken things slowly even though they'd already had sex.

Just not in this realm.

And now, with just the thought of it, her body throbbed with need, and she shivered when she realized that she wasn't wearing anything under the towel.

The bed dipped and Emma cleared her throat. "So you want a massage right? For real?"

Regina opened her eyes and hummed. "Yes, I really want a massage. My muscles hurt." She blinked at Emma and then smirked when she saw the flush that was still on Emma's face. "You should give me one of those full body massages."

Emma coughed and then bit her lip. "Let's start with your back?" She glanced down and then cleared her throat again.

Regina's smirk turned into a gentle smile when she saw how nervous Emma suddenly was. It was new, she'd never seen Emma _that_ nervous.

"Please." She settles back again and hummed as she found a comfortable position. "I warn you though, I might fall asleep."

"You're that tired?"

Regina hummed. It was a white lie—and one she didn't have trouble with. Emma was nervous and Regina didn't want to pressure her into anything.

"Yes. So, put those hands to work, Miss Swan," she replied and Emma chuckled.

"Alright, your majesty."

Emma straddled Regina and put her weight on her thighs, and Regina hummed as the pressure made her feel more than she'd expected.

Her body came to life at the feel of the warmth coming off of Emma and she knew that she wouldn't fall asleep, even though she had told Emma.

Even though she was expecting it, she still startled when Emma's hands found her shoulders. She worked the knots there and Regina hummed again, in approval.

"You have magic hands," she moaned and Emma huffed. Her hands worked slow and steady at the muscles.

"Of course I do."

Regina moaned again as she felt the tension shift in her body. There was a heated coiling low in her belly, and she pressed her thighs together when she felt the warm wetness grow there.

Emma faltered, but didn't stop. She slowly moved down, and shifted the towel to bare Regina's back before she moved down, taking away every little bit of tension.

"Tell me about your dream," Regina murmured, her body on fire where Emma had touched her and where she wasn't touching her.

She knew it was a risk, asking about it, but she wanted to know what Emma felt. If what happened in the dreams, was something Emma actually wanted—and meant.

"I—I'm not sure that's a good idea." Emma stopped moving and took a deep, shuddering breath.

"I want to know."

Emma worked silently for a moment, her hands kneading and soothing Regina's body and then she sighed.

And then she leaned forward, pressing her body against Regina's back. Her mouth replaced her hands, as she pressed hot, open mouthed kisses to Regina's skin.

"We kissed, you were hot." She pressed more kisses to Regina's skin and hummed against her before she went on. "You used a spell to give me a dick." More kisses, her hands moving to caress Regina's sides.

Regina shivered, and she moaned as Emma moved her hands to her thighs and then sat up again. She missed her warmth, but she could feel it radiating off of her regardless.

"What happened next?"

She remembered the spell, simple as it could be, and she thought about it for a moment before she tried to focus on Emma again.

"Well—then I fucked you," Emma murmured her hands caressing Regina's butt. Her hips jerked as if she had a dick, and was already inside of Regina and Regina moaned.

She wanted Emma inside of her like in the dream again, and again the spell came back to mind and all of a sudden, they both gasped.

"Emma—"

"Shit," Emma panted, looking down at where she was sitting. Her stomach clenched and Regina blinked when she felt how _full_ she was.

"Emma—fuck," she whimpered before she pushed her hips back, taking more of Emma into her.

"What even happened?" Emma asked as she tried to pull back. "How in the hell did that happen Regina? You gave me a dick?"

"And apparently, we were both _eager_ enough," she murmured in response before she moaned again. "Believe me when I say this was not planned."

Emma swallowed loudly, and Regina whimpered again when the blonde throbbed inside of her.

She hadn't planned on giving Emma a cock, and certainly hadn't planned on Emma's cock appearing inside her, but she wasn't going to complain.

"This was your magic," Emma said, her voice husky with need. "You even disappeared my clothes."

Regina hummed and pushed back again, and this time instead of pulling back, Emma pushed forward with enough force to make them both gasp again, and Regina's walls clenched around her cock.

Regina hummed. "Yes, just like that!"

Emma repeated the movement, again and again. Regina whimpered when her first orgasm rushed through her within moments and Emma chuckled, even as Regina clenched around her.

"Sensitive," Emma murmured then, and set a steady pace again. "So tight."

Regina huffed and bit her lip, her orgasm already growing as Emma moved, and she wished she could see her face, as she pounded into her.

Her magic surrounded her and she was on her back, Emma still buried deep within her and Emma stopped, her body tensed and her cock throbbing within Regina.

"What?" Regina murmured, even though she was just as surprised as Emma. Her magic reacted to her wishes now?

"I've never had sex like this and you're just casually adding more magic?" Emma breathed and Regina shook her head, ready to spin a tale.

"I can't help it, darling." She blinked, and wrapped her legs tighter around Emma and pulling her in again. "I just—"

She broke off on a moan when Emma moved again, fast and hard and raw in her movements. She went with it, her hips moving with Emma's and she whimpered and took shuddering breaths, and then she tensed. She stopped breathing for just a moment when a second orgasm washed over her, clenching around Emma's cock and trying to pull Emma over that edge too.

"I don't believe you were this easy to get off during my dreams," Emma panted as she held still. Regina loved the way Emma felt inside of her, hard and heated.

Emma's hands moved from beside her, and for a moment Regina panicked. What if Emma saw the changes in her body and started pushing again?

But Emma didn't have eyes for her body as much as for her face, and when her hand found a nipple, her mouth was quickly pressed to Regina's in a heated kiss.

"Maybe you learned." Regina murmured as Emma rolled her erect nipple between two fingers. "God, that feels good."

Emma moved her hips again, and her face pinched in concentration, laced with more need than Regina had ever seen in anyone.

She could see the moment that Emma felt it, and then Emma's hand moved between them and two fingers circled her clit as Emma pounded harder, faster, _deeper_.

And then she stopped and whimpered as she came hard, spilling into Regina. She followed soon after, her hips jerking into Emma's.

After a moment, Emma rolled off of her, and Regina waved her hand with flourish. Gone was the stickiness between her legs, and gone was Emma's flaccid penis.

"That was an interesting turn of events." Regina rolled onto her side and smiled at Emma, who was still staring at the ceiling dazedly.

"You don't even—you don't need to wave your hand when you do magic," Emma murmured and then she turned to Regina. "Why do you wave your hand like that when your magic reacts to easily without it?"

Regina shrugged with one shoulder before she sighed. "I have no idea. My magic is changing."

"Yea, I noticed that—different color," Emma replied and then her eyes widened. "Wait, why?"

Regina pulled back and took a deep breath, waiting for the comment about how a pregnancy would change her magic. And Emma would be right—magic did change.

"I haven't a clue," she muttered instead of the full truth. "There's so many different reasons why things change."

Emma hummed, and closed her eyes. "I'm exhausted." Regina rolled closer again, and Emma wrapped her arms around her, pulling her closer still. "That was a nice way to connect."

Regina hummed. "Indeed it was. Rest, we still have time before Henry gets home."

And within minutes, both dozed off sated and happy.

—SQ—

Regina stood in front of the stove, dressed in the most comfortable clothes she could find and hummed to the beat of the song Emma had put on.

"Henry is working on his homework," Emma said as she walked into the kitchen. She glanced over Regina's shoulder before she wrapped her arms around her waist.

Regina blinked and leaned back, her body still heavy with exhaustion but already she was feeling much better. Emma had a way to make her feel relaxed—even with everything going on in her mind.

"Good."

She hadn't seen much of Henry in the past week. He had avoided her mostly, but whenever he did have to be in the same room, he'd be short with her.

It had gotten harder, to make sure that Emma didn't notice the way he was treating her and she wondered why she even bothered.

"So when are you going to say something about his behavior? I know he's living here and I'm not always around, but I've noticed he hardly talks to you."

And there it was.

"I don't know what I can say to make this any better for any of us," she admitted. "He's having a hard time with the fact that I'm still using magic, even though he knows I won't use it for—for evil anymore."

"It shouldn't matter so much." Emma sighed.

"I know, but it does."

Emma hummed and then moved her hands over Regina's stomach. Regina slowly breathed in when she felt it—the jerk of realization.

"Did you gain weight? I didn't notice before but you're softer," Emma murmured. Then she jerked again, and Regina pursed her lips. "I mean, it's nothing bad, I actually kind of like it—"

Regina turned in Emma's arms and kissed her, gentle and sweet before she pulled back and sucked in a breath.

"Emma, I like you—let's keep it that way."

Emma flustered, and opened her mouth to speak before she shook her head and grinned.

"I'm glad you like me," she replied. "I like you too."

Regina watched Emma for a moment, the way her feelings were so easy to read and she straightened her back when she realized that, in their first dream, they'd been so open that they had already expressed their feelings for each other.

And then she realized—that would all change when Emma found out that she was pregnant and had been lying about the shared dreams.


	7. Chapter 7

Regina sobbed as she jerked, half aware of where she was. The dream was still vividly replaying in her mind and tears slid down her face.

"Regina? What's wrong?" Emma's soft, sleepy voice sounded beside her.

Another image of her nightmare vividly crossed her mind and she sobbed again, the pain she felt enough to want to make her disappear.

She sobbed again, and she pressed her face into the pillow. "I los—I lost the baby," she murmured, over and over again and her heart hurt in her chest.

The bed jerked as Emma moved beside her.

"What?"

Regina could feel the haze of the dream, still settled over her and she sobbed again when Emma turned her around. Her eyes closed on their own and she squeezed them tightly, forcing out the tears.

"I lost our baby," she whined and Emma jerked again.

"I don't understand."

She blinked open her eyes, more tears streaming down her face. She stared up into Emma's confused face and realized what she had just said.

Her stomach clenched and she pressed her hands against it, and then looked away from Emma's intense stare.

She swallowed. "I dreamt I had another miscarriage." She frowned, as if that could stop the tears, and then turned back to Emma.

"Another miscarriage." Emma cleared her throat. "When did you have a miscarriage?"

Regina shook her head, and wet her lips before she glanced around. "I don't even remember coming up here."

Emma sighed. "Regina, when did you have a miscarriage? And why are you dreaming you had _another_ miscarriage?"

She turned her focus back on Emma, her brain scrambled with the dream still vivid. "I had a miscarriage back in the old world."

Emma was silent for a moment too long—Regina sobbed In a breath before she tried to sit up, but Emma stopped her.

"Wait—are you saying that you're pregnant _now_?" She asked, her voice high and incredulous.

Regina whimpered. "Yes." Emma jerked back and slipped off the bed, and Regina sat up to look at her for a moment. "I meant to tell you—I just—I'd told you—"

Emma turned around so suddenly that Regina recoiled. "Wait, you mean about the dreams—because it's either that, or you cheated on me and that doesn't seem right."

She stood to her feet and slowly made her way over to Emma, her heart thundering in her chest. "I—I have been visiting the dream realm with you."

Emma clenched her jaw, and Regina took a step forward. "Why didn't you tell me, Regina?"

"I was afraid," she murmured as she wiped at her cheeks. Her hands were wet, and more tears flowed. "Gods, Emma, I didn't even think it was relevant because I—I'm not supposed to be able to conceive. So I didn't tell you."

"Yea, you know what? Fuck that." Emma choked out and it was the first time that Regina could see something else beneath the anger.

"Emma—" she tried, but Emma pushed past her and out of the room. She followed her to the top of the stairs. "Emma."

Emma ignored her calls, stepping into her boots and pulling on her jacket. She glanced up one last time, her eyes shimmering in the dark, and then she pulled open the door.

The door closed behind her with a soft click.

Regina held her hand against her mouth, slowly sinking down on the top stair, as a sob wrecked her body.

She should have told Emma straight away.

She shouldn't have kept it to herself.

After another sob, she stood to her feet shakily, and made her way back to her bedroom. One glance at the clock told her it was three, and she climbed into the now cold bed.

She shivered as she settled into it, and she closed her eyes. It hurt, to even think about what had just happened.

Emma had walked out on her angrily and there was nothing she could do to make it better. There was no one she could blame but herself.

She cried herself to sleep.

—SQ—

She woke up with an intense pounding in her head and when she opened her eyes, it only got worse.

Her stomach heaved, but moving made it even worse and so she stayed where she was. She closed her eyes, and slowly rolled into her back.

She breathed in and out slowly for what felt like hours. But, after a couple of minutes the pounding in her head lessened.

She was used to a lot more pain, but combined with the normal queasiness in the mornings lately, she didn't want to take any risks.

Outside her bedroom door, there was a stumble and a curse, and she sighed as she slowly opened her eyes. She waited until the pounding lessened again before she sat up.

She gritted her teeth, one hand pressed to her stomach while the other pressed against her forehead. She really hated waking up like this.

Her door opened, and Henry stood in the doorway with his eyes narrowed at her.

"What happened? Where's Ma?"

His voice grated on her and she closed her eyes again, recoiling when the pounding intensified.

"She went home," she whispered. Even that hurt, but she pushed through and stood to her feet, swaying for a beat before she steadied herself. "I'll be right there."

"What's wrong?" Henry asked, worry lacing his voice. But when she looked up, he looked uninterested. She shook her head, not sure what to tell him, and her stomach clenched. "Whatever."

He pulled the door closed behind him with more force than necessary and she winced when it reverberated through her skull.

With a quick wave of her hand, and a simple spell on her mind, she held a bottle of water in one hand and a painkiller in the other. After taking them, she made her way into the bathroom and brushed her teeth, not daring to look into the mirror.

She pulled her robe over her pajamas and tied the waistband.

Her stomach settled a little when the migraine slowly turned into a headache, and she made her way down the stairs. Her movements were stilted, and the moment she walked into the kitchen she winced at the mess.

"Henry," she murmured as she watched him cook his own breakfast. He seemed to struggle, and all she wanted was to help. "Let me take over."

"No, I'm good." He grunted and she closed her eyes, the fingers of one hand pressed to her temple. "Why did Ma leave?"

She sat down at the breakfast bar, her eyes unfocused for a moment before she blinked and stared at his back. "We had a fight."

"What did you do?"

She winced again, this time at the blatant accusation in his voice and she sighed. "I kept something from her."

He turned, his eyes narrowed. "What?"

"That's something between your mother and me, for now." She cleared her throat and stood to her feet as he plated his breakfast. "Henry, you'll know what's going on sooner than you know."

He grunted. "I don't understand why you always seem to ruin everything when you're happy. Weren't you happy with Ma?"

She wet her lips. "Of course I am happy with your mother, sweeth—"

He cut her off. "Then why do you ruin everything? Don't you know by now that Ma really hates it when you lie?"

Before she had the chance to reply, he stomped out of the kitchen. She leaned her head on her hands, trying to push back the tears that threatened to fall.

For a moment, she couldn't help but think he was right—she'd ruined their relationship with magic, and now she'd ruined her relationship with Emma by lying.

She didn't move until Henry walked back into the kitchen, put his plate in the sink and turned to her. "Ma is coming to pick me up for school, so you don't have to bother with it."

Her throat tightened. "Henry—"

He was gone before she could finish her sentence and she took a deep breath to steady herself.

She stood and started to make herself a cup of tea when the front door opened. When it closed with a bang, she clenched her teeth. Her eyes fluttered closed as the pounding intensified.

"Where's Henry—why isn't he ready yet?" Emma's voice was loud behind her and she swallowed before she turned around, squinting at the blonde.

"He's getting ready as we speak," she murmured and then turned back around, her throat closing around the tears that burned in her eyes.

Emma moved behind her and all of a sudden, a hand was on her back, pressed gently between her shoulder blades.

She still tensed. "I shouldn't have left like that last night," Emma said softly and Regina bit her lip. "I'm sorry."

"You have every—every right to be angry." She turned around, her eyes downcast. "I should have told you."

Emma stepped back, her eyes flashing with something. "We should talk. This—We should talk."

Regina nodded. "We will," she choked out around the lump in her throat.

"Okay. I'll come to your office later today. Tell Henry I'm outside," Emma murmured before she left again. Regina stepped back and leaned against the counter.

Her headache had turned into a dull throb, and she wondered what had happened besides some of the tension leaving her body.

Henry glanced into the kitchen, his eyes sweeping the room. "I'll see you later," he muttered when he saw that she was alone, and then he was gone.

The front door slammed closed, and she was alone again.

—SQ—

Regina stayed home, her headache preventing her from being able to move too much. She stayed in her office, doing only the necessary paperwork.

Emma never called, and didn't come home with Henry at the end of the day either.

Henry stomped up the stairs and while she wanted to call out to him, she knew he was still angry about what happened the night before.

So she didn't.

She made them dinner.

Her head was still pounding by the time dinner was done and she wondered when it would lessen—it had when Emma had touched her, even for a little bit.

"What's for dinner?" Henry asked from behind her and she turned, her heart in her throat.

"Henry," she breathed and he rolled his eyes before he sat down at the dining table. "I'm not sure what's going on but I'd like to talk about it."

"Yea?" He snapped, his eyes flashing with anger. "Why don't you tell me where Ma is right now? Because I bet you don't know."

"No, I don't." She filled a plate with the food she'd made and then placed it in front of Henry. He didn't say anything until she had sat down opposite of him.

"Last I heard from her, she said she was going to stay at grandma's, because she couldn't be here right now," he grunted before he started eating.

He had the same habits Emma did, and Regina leaned back and swallowed passed the lump in her throat.

"I see," she replied thickly. Her hand moved to her stomach without thought and she clenched it in a fist when she saw his eyes move to watch her movement. "Henry, this is none of your business. We had an argument, but we _will_ fix it."

"I just don't get why you keep ruining good things. You did it with Robin, and now you're doing it with Emma."

"Robin?"

She narrowed her eyes as she tried to think of what she had done wrong with Robin—they hadn't even dated for very long when Emma brought back Marian, and they had both agreed to back off.

"Yea. You were happy with him, weren't you?"

His eyes still flashed with anger, but he seemed unsure.

"I enjoyed spending time with him. Henry—his wife came back from the dead." She lifted a brow, and made sure he saw it by leaning forward. "Did you want me to keep seeing him, even though he loved his wife?"

"No! I don't know," he sighed.

"He loves Marian, and we'd only been on a couple of dates—we hadn't built anything lasting yet."

But Emma had managed to build something lasting with her within the first date—with even the first dream they'd had together.

And now she had lost that.

She took a small bite of her food only to realize that she wasn't even hungry. Her stomach clenched and she sighed before she leaned back again.

Even her leggings had somehow stopped being comfortable to sit in, let alone eat in.

Henry pushed his plate away, a scowl still on his face. "Well, I still don't understand why you keep ruining things."

She watched him for a moment and realized that he didn't know what to do with what he was feeling. Of course, he was taking it out on her. She was still the closest person to him.

"Is there something else bothering you, Henry?" She asked him softly, her voice steady even when she felt like she was falling apart.

He hadn't been this nasty toward her in a while—the last time had been just around the time the first curse broke. She didn't know how much more of this she could handle.

He clenched his jaw and shrugged, but then he stood to his feet. He grabbed his plate and hers, and emptied them into the trash can before he put them in the dishwasher.

It was only then he turned back toward her.

"I'm going to my room." His voice had softened and she breathed a sigh of relief. It didn't change everything, but she knew she could get through to him.

He still loved her, regardless.

—SQ—

Her day had been spent thinking about all the ways she'd messed up with Emma. Her head was still throbbing and her body was still tired, but she couldn't sleep.

She lay in bed, her hands clasped on her stomach. She was glad that she'd been able to take off her leggings, and she told herself to take some time to order some maternity wear.

She still hadn't heard anything of Emma and she worried—Emma had made it a point never to break a promise.

She sucked in a breath and it sounded more like a sob, when she realized that Emma didn't care about promises to someone who'd lied.

She had ruined it with one little lie and she couldn't even begin to fix it, especially not because Emma avoided her. Especially because Emma had been avoiding her.

But what if something bad had happened? What if Emma wasn't avoiding her, but she had gotten into trouble?

Regina sat up in bed, just as the door to the mansion crashed against the wall beside it. She quickly got out of bed and grabbed her robe, pulling it on as she made her way to the stairs.

Emma stumbled inside and then closed the door, just as Henry's door opened and he stumbled out of his room, sleepily rubbing his eyes.

"What's going on?" He asked, before he yawned.

"Go back to bed, sweetheart. It's just your mother." Regina moved toward him, only to stop when he grunted and turned back into his room.

Emma kicked off her boots, and Regina quickly made her way down the stairs before Emma tried to climb them.

There was only one reason that Emma would be this loud—she was drunk.

"Did I wake Henry?" She slurred and then stumbled again as she made her way toward Regina.

"It's fine. Why don't we go into the kitchen? I can make you a cup of coffee or something to eat," Regina said as she steered Emma toward the kitchen.

"I'm sorry," Emma murmured and Regina huffed. She didn't want to have this conversation with a drunk Emma.

She stayed quiet for a while, making Emma a cup of coffee and when she was done, she put it in front of the blonde. She wanted to ask a thousand questions but stayed silent as Emma nursed her cup.

"Why are you here?" She asked when she couldn't keep silent anymore. "I think you made it clear what it is that you want—or don't want."

Emma's head snapped up and she shook her head, eyes wide. "No! I was an asshole."

"You broke your promise—why?"

Emma shook her head again and then took a sip of her still steaming coffee. She sighed, and snorted when the dark liquid bubbled up.

"God, I wish I knew what—Hook asked if I could join him for a drink. I didn't think it could hurt, and now I'm here."

Regina narrowed her eyes, her mind racing. "Are you telling me you've been drinking all day?"

"No," Emma murmured but then stopped, and slowly slipped her coffee. Regina could see her sober up as time went by, but she didn't say a word as she watched Emma.

After half an hour, she'd had enough. "You promised me you'd come to Town Hall today."

Emma hummed, and rubbed her fingers against her temple. "I did. You weren't there—I thought maybe you'd gone to Granny's and that's when I ended up talking to Hook."

She could still hear a slur in Emma's words but she was less drunk than before. "That still counts as all day, we're talking about noon?"

"I hate that you lied to me, Regina." Emma stood to her feet and swayed a little before she glared at her. "I hate it. I've been lied to enough for my entire life, I want it to stop."

"I don't want to have this talk with you while you're intoxicated." Regina moved toward Emma, and gasped when Emma grabbed her arms. She was still gentle, even in her anger.

"I want you to be honest with me," Emma said before she backed Regina into the wall. "I _need_ you to be honest with me because this doesn't make sense."

"I know. What I need, is for you to leave my house and sleep this off," Regina murmured and cupped Emma's cheek. "You'll have to explain to me why you spent a day getting drunk with a pirate, but I'll be here and I'll be honest with you about anything you want."

"Okay."

"I'll help you get home," Regina said as she watched Emma. "Are you okay with me using magic on you?"

She didn't trust herself to drive, but she would if Emma didn't want her to use magic.

But then Emma hummed. "Of course."

And so, with a wave of her hand, and a puff of her magic, Emma was gone. She sighed in relief, before she made her way to her bedroom and climbed into her bed.

She would be waiting for Emma, because she wouldn't reach out—not knowing that Emma might need some time to get come to terms with everything.

In the end, she'd taken a week to come to terms with everything.


	8. Chapter 8

She grunted as she pulled at the waistband of her pants, annoyed that it felt so tight. She didn't even know _why_ she'd dressed as she did, especially because she had opted to work from home.

No one was even going to see what she looked like—she could have forgone clothing all together.

She sighed, and then leaned back before she popped open the button. She breathed another sigh, this one filled with relief.

She glanced at the shopping cart on her screen and pursed her lips when she realized she'd need more than she had expected.

After clicking on checkout, and paying for the clothes, she heard the frantic voice of Emma.

"Regina?"

For a moment, she didn't understand the panic—until she remembered she'd told Emma she'd be working from Town Hall, and once again hadn't gone in.

"I'm in here," she called out and then sighed as she rearranged her clothing. She didn't want Emma to see—or maybe she didn't want to confront Emma with something she might not want.

She almost choked on a sob, but managed to keep herself together as Emma strode into her home office.

"I thought you worked at Town Hall today," she pressed a hand to her chest. "You scared the crap out of me, Regina."

"I'm sorry," she murmured, her heart leaping with hope at the sight of Emma's worry. Maybe there was a way to get back to where they were. "I forgot."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Clearly."

Regina stood, and held on to her pants by resting a hand on her waist. What she needed was to be close to Emma—what she did was keep her distance.

"I had an appointment last week—just to confirm." She crossed her arms, as if she was trying to shield herself from Emma's anger. But there was no anger in Emma's eyes.

"Is that why you woke up talking about miscarriages?"

Emma moved closer, her voice soft enough that Regina could feel her heart sink. She still hoped that this would all be okay. They just needed to talk.

"Partly—no, mostly." She sighed, and then sat down on the couch, her legs too shaky to carry her much longer. "I think the moment I was sure, I started thinking about the miscarriage."

Emma sat down next to her, and hummed. "I don't understand, how did this even happen?"

"We researched the dreams—you remember how the impossible is possible in those dreams?" She watched Emma for a moment before she continued. "The potion made me barren—I did that to myself. I don't understand how a dream could affect my body like this."

"Do we need to do more research?"

She shook her head. "I don't think that's going to make a difference. The dream realm makes the impossible, possible." She puffed out a breath. "No matter what I did to myself."

Emma turned her body to face her, a frown on her face. "Okay, what's going to happen now? I mean—I don't know how to feel."

Regina snorted and then covered her mouth when she sobbed, her eyes closed. "Do you think I know how to feel? I shouldn't be—this can't happen, not really."

Emma blinked, and then turned away again. "I always wanted another kid. Especially after I'd gotten to know Henry." She sighed, and then shook her head. "I—I want to say I'll support you, whatever you do—"

Regina recoiled. "What? Emma—I don't know how to feel, that doesn't mean I'm going to throw away what could be my _only_ chance to have a child of my own blood."

Her throat tightened at just the _idea_ of not having this baby. She shook her head and stood to her feet, holding her pants up and buttoning it quickly, before turning back to Emma.

She couldn't say what Emma would do. The blonde was closed off to her in a way that hadn't happened since before the curse and she wanted to turn back time.

"Okay."

"Emma." She cleared her throat when her voice broke and Emma looked up, her eyes dark and unreadable. "I'm _so_ sorry for not telling you."

Emma hummed, and then she looked down at her hands. "I just never expected you to lie to me about something so trivial, when you've been so painfully honest about everything else."

"I know."

She didn't even try to excuse her behavior because Emma was right. She _was_ honest about everything in her life. She didn't waste time lying—not even a white lie—to spare someone's feelings.

And here she had been lying to spare her _own_ feelings. She sighed, and swatted at her cheeks when a tear slipped down.

Emma stood to her feet. "So, what happens next? I don't know anything about all the checkups—and you did say you had a miscarriage before, so does that mean you'd have to be under better observation?"

Regina frowned. "Uh—well, my doctor took my blood—everything was fine, except my iron—and I have another appointment in two weeks."

"I never went through this process—being in prison makes pregnancy much easier—I'm glad that you have someone to get you through that."

Regina cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "I want you involved, Emma. I didn't mean to push you away. I just—I didn't know what to do. I've always been alone in handling things."

"I know, but you don't _have_ to anymore, and even after all these years sharing the care for Henry, you still don't feel like you can trust me?" Emma asked.

Emma sighed in annoyance and shook her head and then sat back down on the couch, her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands.

"I trust you."

"Yea, sure." Emma rolled her eyes. "That's why you didn't tell me you were pregnant for a _week_ , that's why you didn't tell me you had the same dreams as I had—you let me _fuck_ you yesterday asking about the dreams."

"Right," Regina replied, blinking away more tears and letting her own annoyance at the situation take hold. "Emma, I get enough sass from our teenager son, I don't need you to be rude to me. I understand that you're upset—I really do. But if you need time, take it, don't force yourself to be here."

The blonde shook her head again, her eyes wide. She opened her mouth to speak and then closed it again before she stood, and made her way toward Regina.

"I want to be here for you," she murmured and then pulled Regina into her arms. "I really, honestly, _want_ to be here for you. I just also really, honestly, _hate_ that you kept something from me."

"I know." Regina tried her best to relax in Emma's arms, but all she could think about was that this was the end. Emma wouldn't be able to forgive her, and they would be left co-parenting two kids. "There's no excuse."

"I think you misunderstand."

"I understand perfectly, darling. There is _no_ way you can forgive me—it might have started out as trivial, but maybe if I'd told you, you would've been able to see what was going on and you _would_ have pointed it out."

She pressed her face into Emma's neck and kept her eyes closed, cursing the tears that spilled on Emma's skin.

"Regina—we're in this together and I'll be here whenever you need me," Emma tightened her grip, and chuckled. "I might even be here more than you'd like, but that's not the point."

"What's the point?"

"That you're not going to be _alone_ in this, Regina. I'm here and I promise you I'm not going anywhere." Emma pulled back enough to look at her, and then pressed a kiss to her forehead. "What about Henry?"

Regina swallowed thickly. "What about him?"

"Do we tell him?"

She pursed her lips and stepped away from Emma, already missing the warmth the blonde had to offer.

"I—he heard you leave. And then he asked about what happened," she shook her head and she could see the moment Emma understood.

"We tell him something. I'll make sure to talk to him about his behavior." She sounded so angry. Regina shook her head again, but Emma grunted. "Regina—even if you _had_ done something wrong, it still isn't his place to be disrespectful to you."

Regina clenched her jaw. "I should handle it myself. If you go and talk to him, he's only going to act out _more_."

"We'll do it together, in day—lets say a week," Emma said with a decisive nod. "We're a united front—regardless of our relationship status."

She recoiled and then closed her eyes, her throat closed up as she inclined her head. "Regardless of our relationship status."

Emma groaned. "Okay, maybe I should stop talking—especially feeling like I do right now."

Emma stepped forward again and pulled Regina toward her, pressing their lips together.

It was a gentle kiss. It was a soft kiss.

Neither of them deepened the kiss, and Regina finally felt like she could breathe again.

When Emma pulled back, she smiled down at Regina and stepped back with a nod.

Regina rolled her lips. "Thank you, for understanding."

"Of course. We're having a baby and we only _yesterday_ —or was it the day before?—had sex for real," Emma said with a grin. "And, I shouldn't even have the equipment for it."

Regina chuckled and then bit her lower lip. "I think it's magical, and I don't mean that in a sarcastic way." Her hand moved to her lower belly and she looked down, a lump in her throat. "I never thought it would be possible—at all. And here we are."

Emma hummed and watched her for a moment before she smiled. "Here we are." She was silent for a moment and Regina stepped back even further. "So what happens now?"

"That depends on what you want. We work on us again." Regina locked her eyes with Emma's and nodded her head. "We work on us. We talk when something happens. We spend time together, _alone_."

"That sounds like a plan," Emma murmured and then she sat down again. "Let me start communication—I spent the night drinking with Hook yesterday."

Regina rolled her eyes. "I know—I brought you home after you'd drunkenly barged in here."

"Oh." Emma huffed and then rubbed her forehead, and before Regina could take pity on her she looked back up at her. "He started coming into town every once in a while and I wanted to know what he wanted here."

"Did he tell you?"

"Yea—he thought he'd try his luck with me. I told him—I told him I was taken and he backed off. He just wanted to have a drink. He said he was going to leave."

Regina narrowed her eyes and then sat down next to Emma, gritting her teeth and pulling at her waistband when it cut into her skin before she looked back at Emma.

"I—he's never one to give up that easily," she said and then sighed. "If you're certain that he won't bother you—"

Emma nodded quickly. "Absolutely. We went through this in Neverland, and I'm just—I told him very clearly before I got drunk."

"Why did you get drunk?"

Emma looked down at her hands, and shook her head. "I—we just—look, I am really into you and I just really didn't like it when you lied. But—but I promised I'd work through it. Yesterday was just a part of that."

For a moment Regina didn't know what to say.

She didn't want to be the reason that Emma drank herself into a stupor—she was sure if Hook hadn't been there to ask her at that moment, she wouldn't even have thought about drinking. She wanted Emma to be okay, and safe. Yesterday, she was neither of them and it was all her fault.

And so, she breathed in and, in her frustration, quickly opened the button of her pants again before she turned to Emma, her eyes flashing.

"The next time something happens that has you craving a drink, don't drink with a pirate or even alone. I'll keep you company, just—don't do it like you did yesterday."

"But you don't like it when I get drunk." She frowned. "Did that really happen yesterday? We talked?"

"No, you _wanted_ to talk."

"And you sent me home," Emma smiled and then leaned back. "I think if I ever want to drink again, I'll do it here. Thank you, Regina."

She frowned. "For what?"

"For—I think for understanding and being here?"

"Anytime, Emma. You have a family that cares for you now," Regina murmured as she moved closer to Emma. "You don't have to be alone anymore and you certainly don't have to drink yourself into a stupor with a pirate."

And then, regardless of how she felt about Emma choosing his company over hers, she leaned against Emma and gave her just a tiny bit of the comfort that they both needed.

—SQ—

Emma kept her distance even though they'd talked about everything. She only joined Henry and Regina for dinner twice in the week following, but Regina didn't want to dwell on it.

She'd spent her lunch hours alone all week, even though she really craved Emma's company. She wouldn't reach out—she wanted Emma to come to her.

She sighed as she pushed her hands into her coat pockets, her heels steadily clicking on the pavement as she made her way to Granny's.

After a full week alone, she wanted to see people even if that meant she had to go to the diner. She didn't want to admit—not even to herself—that she was still craving grilled cheese sandwiches.

She pushed through, and walked into the diner. The buzz of people talking hit her, and she took a deep breath. It had been a while since she had trouble with a lot of people around her, and she wanted to turn around and walk back to her office.

"Your majesty."

She swallowed back her annoyance and turned toward Killian Jones, better known as Hook. She rolled her eyes at the sight of him—he was always wearing the same outfit.

"Pirate," she replied before she moved passed him. He smirked at her and then followed her. She wanted to blast him with her magic.

"I haven't seen you here before," he murmured and Regina tensed when she realized how close he was to her. She looked down at her hands as she worried her lip. She shouldn't blast him with her magic, no matter how badly she wanted to get the stench away from her.

"I've been busy—why don't you find yourself a table and stop harassing me?" She turned to watch him and he scowled at her. "I don't have the time nor the need to talk to you."

He opened his mouth, but then Ruby joined them. "Regina, what can I get you?"

Ruby had been one of the few people who'd supported her from the start—if you didn't count the murder accusation.

"The usual," she replied out of habit and then glanced over her shoulder at Hook. "I'll be right back, I need to—I need to powder my nose."

"No coffee, right?" Ruby asked and subtly shifted her eyes toward Regina's stomach. For a moment, Regina startled and her first instinct was to deny everything.

But Ruby knew.

"No, I don't think I can stomach coffee right now," she replied honestly. Hook snorted behind her, and she glared at him over her shoulder before she turned back to Ruby. "Tea is fine."

She should have expected it.

She didn't know why she hadn't expected him to follow her.

When she turned the corner toward the ladies room, she was suddenly grabbed from behind, and turned around at the same time as pushed, and her back slammed against the wall with enough force to make it hard to breathe.

Hook glared down at her, and his scent washed over her and made her gag as the bile rose in her throat.

"You're fucking with my chances, your majesty."

Regina swallowed and narrowed her eyes. There was no way she was going to show him she was afraid. She held a shaky hand against her stomach.

"I don't know what you're talki—" he cut her off, by pressing one hand around her throat and cutting off her air supply. She coughed.

"You're keeping Swan from me, and you need to stop," he growled at her, putting more pressure on her windpipe.

She stared straight ahead, her vision blurring. She scratched at his arm, and tried to grab a hold of his wrist.

"Stop."

He chuckled darkly, and then pressed his lips against hers in a bruising kiss before he pulled away, his hand still around her throat but the pressure all but gone.

"Get the fuck out of my way and this'll never happen again."

She gasped for air when he finally let her go, doubled over and then coughed as her raw throat burned with the flow of oxygen.

She glared up at him, her magic churning within her. "You don't—you don't get to tell me what I can or cannot do." It hurt to speak, but she swallowed and clenched her jaw. "Emma is her own person."

"Emma's not a dyke."

She growled, and her magic lashed out and pushed against him, slamming him into the wall opposite of her.

She gasped when beneath her hand, an intense pain flared up. She whimpered when she looked back at Hook. He frowned at her, staring at her as though she was crazy, and she let him go.

He fell to the ground.

The pain lessened into a dull throb.

"Get out of my sight, and don't you _dare_ confront me ever again."

He backed away, a scowl on his face and she leaned back against the wall. She leaned her head back, and pressed her hands to her stomach.

What had just happened?

—SQ—

She looked up when the door to her office opened and Emma shuffled in. Just one glance at the blonde told her that Emma had heard something had happened.

She raised a hand to her throat, still painful to the touch. She was afraid to use magic.

"Hook told me you'd blasted him."

Regina hummed, her heart sinking as she leaned back. She was grateful for her new work clothes—they were stretchy enough for her to be comfortable sitting down all day.

"I'm sure he did."

Emma closed the door behind her and held up her hands. "I don't believe you'd do that without provocation."

"Of course not."

She wanted to cry, the sight of Emma's confusion about the whole situation made her want to run and hide.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?"

Regina shrugged. "He cornered me, and I stupidly used magic to protect myself." She'd just been too late. "I won't do it again, if that's what you're worried about."

"Actually," Emma murmured as she moved around the desk and crouched beside her. "I am. Hook said you were hurting when you were holding him against the wall—he didn't know why because he said he'd only—he'd choked you, but hadn't hurt you."

Regina closed her eyes and startled when Emma's hand moved to cover hers on her stomach.

"Something happened when I used my magic. It felt like a cramp."

"Have you talked to your doctor yet?" Emma asked gently, her hand soft and comforting. "I think we need to figure out why you cramped when you used magic, and you have to talk to your doctor."

"I agree." She opened her eyes again and looked down at Emma. "I miss you, Emma. I want you to be around, and I know you need time to give this a place but I miss you."

"I miss you too," Emma murmured. She stood then, her hand slipping away from Regina's. "I promised I'd be there tonight, we can talk to Henry."

He still treated Regina like he had back when the curse was still in effect, no matter how many times Regina tried to talk to him. She didn't _want_ to make things worse. She wanted things to be better—she wanted him to talk to her.

She narrowed her eyes at Emma and then nodded her head.

"Of course."


	9. Chapter 9

Regina called Brittany, and explained what had happened as best as she could. She didn't even know why her magic hurt her like that, but she was sure she was going to find out sooner rather than later.

"As a matter of fact, cramping is relatively normal in the first trimester—especially because your body is trying to adjust. I will try and find out what your magic has to do with this." Brittany sighed and Regina heard her type for a moment. "I am sorry I didn't think about this sooner."

"I didn't think about it either, Brittany. There's no need to apologize." Regina pinched the bridge of her nose. "Thank you for being available."

"Anytime, Regina. I think I'm rooting for this as much as you seem to be," Brittany replied, the smile evident in her voice. "Now, go home and take the afternoon to rest, to catch your breath. I know this scared you."

"It did."

A brief moment she'd wondered if that was it—she would lose another baby. She was terrified of that happening even though she knew she had a lot of help and a lot less stress this time.

"Alright, go home. I'll contact you if I find something on magic and pregnancy."

"And magical pregnancies," Regina added and Brittany chuckled before she made a sound in agreement. "Thank you."

She turned off her computer, grabbed her coat and made her way home.

After a moment of contemplation, she decided it was still early enough to take a nice hot shower, and that's exactly what she did.

Emma arrived at the mansion early—before Henry even got home from school. She had two grocery bags filled to the brim.

"So I thought we could do something together, but then I didn't know what you'd want," Emma said with a grin and then put the bags down on the counter.

Regina bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from bursting out in laughter. "I don't really care what we make, as long as we put something on the table."

And so Emma unpacked the bags, and showed Regina everything she'd gotten. They settled on making a lasagna—beside the fact that it was Regina's specialty, it was Henry's favorite.

They prepared everything, and about half an hour before dinner time, they put it in the oven. When there was nothing left to do, Emma pulled her into a hug as if it was the most normal thing to do.

"You know, I think I want to stay here again tonight—and this time I won't leave in the middle of the night," she murmured. "I'm really sorry I left like that—I know what it was like when Neal left me."

"You're always welcome here, darling," Regina replied just as the front door slammed closed. She could hear Henry kick off his shoes, and then stomp up the stairs. "He's late."

"I'll go get him here," Emma said but Regina stopped her by holding on tightly. "What?"

"He'll be here when dinner is ready."

Emma raised her brow, skeptically staring at the doorway before she lifted a shoulder. "That just means I get more time with you."

"I thought you weren't ready to forgive me yet," Regina murmured as her heart leapt with hope again. She frowned as she did her best not to let it get to her, but she didn't know _how_.

"Okay—I need you to understand that I hate that you lied and I'm not ready to forgive that yet, but I do enjoy spending time with you, and I still trust you. I mean, I even understand _why_ you lied so it shouldn't be this hard."

Emma groaned and then squeezed her arms a little tighter around Regina.

"I don't want you to force yourself."

"I won't, Regina. I promise you, I won't force myself or you," Emma murmured and then pulled back enough to kiss her again. "I promise."

Henry cleared his throat from the doorway, a sheepish expression on his face.

He turned to Regina, and sniffed the air. "You made my favorite." He looked like he was about to apologize, but then he narrowed his eyes. "What's going on?"

"Alright, kid. Sit down," Emma said sternly and he frowned at her before he turned back to Regina. "Don't glare at her and listen to me."

Regina was surprised at the stern expression on Emma's face, and so was Henry because he sat down while Emma leaned against the counter next to him.

"Henry, I told you I'd tell you when we were ready, right?" He couldn't have forgotten yet—it had been just that morning.

"Right."

"Well, kid. Your Mom and I talked about what's going on. We had a fight and I left angry," Emma said, pulling Regina closer. "We fixed it though, and now it's time _you_ stop with the attitude."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Stop, kid. I'm not blind, and I know you've been giving your Mom hell because you feel some type of way."

"She wants to keep using magic!"

Regina stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on Henry's shoulder. "Henry, magic can't just be stopped—it's natural for me and I _need_ it to survive."

He glared at her, and she tensed. "How did you manage for twenty-eight years then?"

"That's hard to explain," she said and he rolled his eyes. "When I cast the curse I needed days to recover from the way magic had been pulled from me." She pursed her lips. "And I can't use magic for the time being anyway."

"Why not?" Henry asked, his eyes hard as he stared at her.

"I'll explain it when I know more," she murmured, thinking about the combination of her magic and the pregnancy. "Can you trust me on that at least?"

"Sure." He narrowed his eyes, and glanced between the two of them. "What was your fight about?"

Emma shook her head, while Regina's hand moved to her belly without thought. She clenched it into a fist before he could see, and looked up at Emma.

"That's none of your business. Neither is the decision for your mother to keep using magic, and neither is the decision for me to stay or go." Emma sighed. "Look, we love you, and we understand that with the way the past couple of years have been going, you want to be kept in the loop."

"But you don't get to decide what we tell you," Regina added, her voice sure. "You're still a child, and you still need to keep in mind that both Emma and I are your parents and we want what's best for you—but you don't get to decide what happens in our lives."

He looked like he was about to protest. He wanted to push back, and she wondered if he would be bold enough.

But then he sighed, and he turned away from both of them. "Fine."

—SQ—

"Aren't you glad we talked to him?"

Regina looked up from another spell book and rolled her eyes. Emma smirked as she sank down on the couch beside her, and then narrowed her eyes at the book.

"I called Brittany after—but she doesn't know either. So I am trying to find everything I can on magic and pregnancy," she explained, and then she sighed. "I don't think he really understands it."

"Maybe not completely," Emma admitted. She sighed and then scooted closer to Regina. "I think waiting to talk to him had something to do with that."

"You know I've tried—every chance he gave me I tried to talk to him. He just didn't want to listen," Regina murmured.

"Well, now he will maybe tone down a bit, and that'll give you a chance to figure out what to tell him. When are we telling him about the baby?"

Regina shrugged, and then stared down at the spell book in her lap. "I'm afraid to tell him—especially because he's so against me using magic."

"We didn't use magic to create a baby."

She chuckled. "Magic was involved. We were in a dream realm, I gave you a magic dick—you know he's going to see it differently than we do."

Emma grunted in frustration. "Parenting a teenager is harder than I imagined."

She hummed in agreement before she flipped the page. "It'll get harder before it gets easier."

"That's not helpful at all, Regina." Emma chuckled and then took the spell book. "Didn't your doctor say you had to take a breather?"

"I'm reading, that's not exactly hard work," Regina replied before she took the book back. "I need to know what happened—if it was my magic or something else."

"It could've been stress. He did hurt you." Emma glanced down at her throat and her hand went to cover the bruise.

"I've had worse."

"But not while you're pregnant," Emma replied.

Regina huffed. "While I was pregnant, too. I just didn't have as much magic back then as I do now."

Emma paled and narrowed her eyes. "What?"

Regina blinked at the emotions rolling off of Emma and then placed her hand over Emma's. "This might not be the time to talk about my life in the old world—I know you want to know everything because of the book but I'm not sure I'm capable of reliving it all."

"It's that bad?"

"Parts of it are," Regina murmured. "You know of my relationship with my mother—you've heard the tales of my marriage."

"I mean, Mom—" she cut herself off and sighed, her eyes closing. "She doesn't know anything."

"She doesn't." Regina squeezed her hand and Emma opened her eyes to stare at her. "It's fine, it's over and I'm happy where I am now."

There was a quiet moment between them as their hands stayed intertwined and Regina flipped another page.

"Will you tell me what happened with Hook? Why was he hurting you?"

Regina took a deep breath and wet her lips. "He wanted me to stay away from you because you'd been avoiding him all week."

"I—I don't even want to have anything to do with the man." Emma frowned her confusion and rolled her eyes then. "So he decided that he had the right to choke you until you agreed?"

"I would assume so," Regina replied simply, and then turned back to her book. "He asked me to stay away from you. I declined. Just—I didn't know what was going on because you didn't exactly tell me anything either."

Emma blinked. "What do you mean?"

"You've been distant this week and that's okay," Regina quickly said. "It's just that if I had known he was after you—"

"But he wasn't—not that I know of. He never really approached me after our drink together," Emma replied and then sighed. "I'll talk to him."

"I think I was pretty clear, darling."

Emma hummed and then yawned, quickly slapping her hand in front of her mouth. "Sorry, I'm exhausted. I haven't really been sleeping."

"Why don't you go to bed then?"

Emma huffed. "Because I'm—I don't know, I just want to spend time with you."

Regina smiled, her heart skipping a beat. "I'll be right up, if that's what you want? I just want to finish this one." She pointed at the book on her lap.

She was happy that Emma wanted to spend time with her—she'd felt as if she'd ruined things with her lies and now she felt, as if Emma was starting to forgive her.

It felt good.

It felt normal to be together, in her study.

"Okay, but if it takes you too long I'm going to come and get you," Emma said with a grin. She stood to her feet and then leaned down to capture Regina's lips in a kiss. "Okay?"

Regina hummed and then pressed another kiss to Emma's lips. "Okay."

After Emma had left the study, Regina leaned her head back and rubbed her palm against her forehead.

She hadn't been able to find anything about the cramps she'd felt earlier, and everything seemed to have calmed down.

Her hands pressed gently against her belly and she smiled, somehow finally able to start accepting the fact that she was pregnant. Tears filled her eyes at the idea of a little baby in her arms, cooing up at her.

"Mom? Are you okay?"

She startled out of her fantasy and quickly wiped at her tears before she closed the spell book and turned to face Henry.

"I'm fine, sweetheart." She gestured to the spot next to her on the couch and he swallowed before he sat down. "What's the matter?"

He looked down at the spell book, for a moment anger flashing across his face before he looked up sheepishly. "For some reason I never really understood what it was like to grow up the way you did. With magic, that is."

"Alright."

"I still don't but I _do_ understand that growing up with magic and having magic for so long is probably—I get that it's not easy to simply stop using magic." He blinked and wiped at his eyes when tears welled up. "I've been really nasty to you and I'm sorry."

He sobbed, and tears slid down his face.

"Oh, baby," Regina breathed, her own throat tight with tears as she pulled him toward her.

"I don't know—know why it's so hard for me to accept it," he muttered and Regina held him tighter to her, her hand pressed into his hair.

"I lied to you a lot when you were just starting to realize what was going on in Storybrooke. I get that it's hard to accept magic, and me using it because I felt the same way about my own mother." She sighed and pressed a kiss to his hair. "She used it against me though, and I would _never_ use magic against my children."

She held her breath, realizing her mistake.

Henry on the other hand didn't notice and he sighed. "Okay, I trust you. I really trust you, and well, you said you couldn't use magic now anyway so I'm just...I'm sorry."

She took a moment to watch him as his guilt seemed to play across his face. She wanted him to be okay with everything that she was, and that meant having to ease him into things like she should have done. Like she _would_ have done if she'd been back in the old world and he was hers completely.

"I want you to promise me something, sweetheart."

"What is it?" He asked eagerly.

"I want you to give this a chance—the magic and more importantly, _me_." He frowned, confused, and she bit the inside of her lip until she found the words. "I might not be able to use magic right now, but when I can I'd like to show you I won't use it for bad anymore."

"I don't—how will that help?" He shook his head. "I don't like you using any magic, what if you don't set out to be bad or evil but you like it so much that you will?"

"Magic will never leave our lives again, darling. Even if I manage to stop completely, Emma still has magic. Even if Emma does not use hers, there's still your grandfather. You have to accept that we are magical beings." Regina took his hand in hers and squeezed tightly. "I love you but I _can't_ give up magic completely."

"But won't you become evil again?"

"No, baby. I have too much to live for now—something that I didn't have in the past. I won't become evil again, that much I _can_ promise you."

"Okay."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise and kept her gaze on him steadily. "Okay?"

He sighed. "I mean, I don't have to like everything you do. But you said it yourself—I'm the kid here and I don't need to like everything you do. I need to be a kid—or something. It's fine. And if you want to show me magic can be good, I'd love that."

"Okay, sweetheart." She glanced at the clock, and turned back toward him. "Why aren't you in bed?"

"I just wanted to talk to you."

When she looked up at the door, she could see Emma hovering and she smiled. "Okay darling, why don't we _all_ call it a night, and talk tomorrow?"

She stood to her feet and helped Henry up. He surprised her with a tight hug, but she returned it and held him close to her, not caring that he had grown so much that he was the same height as her already.

"I love you Mom."

Regina pursed her lips to keep the sob from escaping, and then she squeezed him just a little tighter.

She cleared her throat. "I love you too, Henry."

Henry stepped away and Emma stepped aside to let him through. She turned and watched him climb the stairs, and Regina couldn't help but notice he was more relaxed than he had been in weeks.

"We should tell him," Emma said as she held out her hand. When Regina reached for it, Emma smiled. "He should know—right?"

Regina hummed. "I agree, I just don't know how."

Emma led her up the stairs and into her bedroom, and when she closed the door, she pulled her into a hug.

"We'll figure it out."

Emma swayed on her feet and held on tightly to Regina, her fingers laced and pressed against her lower back.

"I thought you were going to sleep?"

Emma pulled back, a sheepish expression on her face. "I heard him walk downstairs and I didn't want him to yell at you again."

She could feel her heart soar, and she smiled before she leaned forward and kissed Emma.

"I love you."

She kissed Emma again quickly, distracting her from another accidental confession. Her lips moved over Emma's and she pushed her back against the door.

Emma moaned, and Regina took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. Her tongue swiped Emma's, and it pulled a moan from both of them before Emma palmed Regina's ass and squeezed tightly.

Regina pulled back to gasp, and Emma leaned down to press hot kisses to her throat.

Regina breathed slowly, and Emma stopped kissing to look at her. "You taste amazing."

"So you've said." Regina smirked and Emma blushed, but then she yawned again. "Let's get ready for bed, shall we?"

They got ready for bed in a comfortable silence—something Regina had come to like when Emma had stayed with her before.

There was something so calming when you didn't have to be afraid to do or say something wrong—or on the other end, when you're not _alone_.

Emma had climbed into bed before her and when she joined the blonde, she scooted closer and touched their foreheads.

For a moment, she didn't move. She wanted to watch Emma like this forever and it felt like Emma felt the same way.

But then she blinked, and smiled and pressed a kiss to Emma's lips.

"Good night, darling."

She turned around, pressing her back against Emma's front and pulling Emma's hand toward her stomach.

"Good night, Regina." There was a slur in Emma's voice that told Regina how tired she was, and she could feel her getting heavy. And then, Emma surprised her. "I love you too."


	10. Chapter 10

Her hips bucked against the hand that pressed against her center. She didn't know what was even happening but it felt too good to let it go.

The hand pressed down harder and then another hand moved from her shoulder to her breast, rolling her nipple between two fingers.

She moaned, arched her back and pushed against the hand before she startled awake, her eyes shot open and she turned her head, staring straight into Emma's lust filled eyes.

"What's going on?"

Emma smirked, her pupils growing even darker before she leaned forward and kissed Regina. "You complaining?"

When she put pressure on her hand again, Regina gasped and then covered Emma's hand. "No."

Her breath hitched when Emma moved her hand again, putting even more pressure on her clit. Regina swallowed thickly as she bucked her hips again, feeling her panties slide over the slickness between her legs.

"You're so hot," Emma murmured and then kissed her again. They kissed open mouthed and their lips never broke apart as Emma worked her toward an orgasm with just the stimulation _over_ her panties.

"Em _ma_ ," she breathed, the heat gathering beneath Emma's hand. "Fuck." She bucked her hips again and then her body tensed, the orgasm crashing over her in waves, her breathes coming out in pants.

Emma held her as she rode out her orgasm, and then pulled her even closer and pressed kisses to her neck and collarbone wherever she could.

"That was amazing," Emma murmured before she breathed out slowly. "You're so hot when you come."

Regina turned on her back, still holding Emma's hand against her stomach, and pulled her even closer for a kiss. She didn't hesitate to deepen it, her one track mind on giving Emma the pleasure she'd just gotten.

But then Emma hummed and stopped her hand as it moved down. "We kind of don't have time—your appointment with Brittany is in an hour and a half and you still need breakfast, and so does Henry."

She sighed and closed her eyes as she laid back down, her hand still covering Emma's. "I know you're right, that doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Nope, it doesn't." Emma moaned and then sat up, gently pulling her hand from Regina's stomach. "Alright, you—take a shower, I'll make sure the kid has had breakfast and is on the school bus on time."

While it was a big change in the routine they had settled on for the past week, Regina took a shower and took her time to get ready. She was just in time to receive a hug from Henry, before he hurried out the door.

"He's cutting it very close."

She turned to Emma, and Emma shrugged before she walked back into the kitchen. When she followed, she was surprised to see that there was toast and a cup of tea waiting for her.

"Toast?"

"Yea," Emma said, unsure of herself. "You kept saying you couldn't eat much because you didn't feel like you could keep it down in the mornings."

She smiled at Emma before she took a bite of her toast.

"I thought I'd be hanging over the toilet every day, but it's not that bad." Regina took another bite and then leaned against Emma. "But this does help."

Emma wrapped an arm around her and then chuckled. "I remember that part—it was no fun for me. The food in prison made me want to throw up all the time and the extra snacks I got were bland and didn't even help with any cravings I might have."

"That must have been hard." Regina took another bite of her toast and then another before she pulled back and looked up at Emma. "You're okay with this right?"

"More than," Emma murmured as she smiled at Regina. "For a while after Henry I wanted nothing to do with kids and I was sure I'd never, _ever_ have another. But then I met him, and you, and you guys looked so happy."

"You are part of that now," Regina replied with a smile of her own. "I wouldn't want to do this without you, in whatever way you'd want to be involved."

She held her hand against her belly, and then looked down at it. Emma's hand joined hers, and when she looked up she could see Emma's eyes glittering.

"Okay, we should really stop being sappy," Emma said throatily. "I'll go get ready—I can't _wait_ to hear the heartbeat."

Regina sucked in a breath, butterflies in her stomach at the thought and she blinked up at Emma. "Me either, it'll be a first for me."

"It's amazing, Regina! You're going to love it."

> —SQ—

Regina held on tightly to Emma's hand as they waited in front of Brittany's office. She still wasn't sure if she had accepted the fact that she was pregnant, her heart sank each time she thought about it.

But Emma was sure that it would become more real after having seen the baby, and hearing the baby's heartbeat.

The door opened, showing Brittany's aged face. "Come in ladies." She smiled at the both of them and when they had settled down, she turned to Regina. "I'm glad that you told Emma about the pregnancy. You need someone in your corner for the next eighteen years."

Emma snorted. "She's done a hell of a job with Henry and she did that alone, she'll be fine without me—not that I'm planning on going away," she added quickly when Regina frowned at her.

"That's great to hear, Emma," Regina murmured, her heart skipping a beat. She turned to her doctor then and narrowed her eyes. "Did _you_ have any luck finding out why using my magic hurt me?"

Brittany shook her head. "No. I'm thinking it is a combination of things—stress, the expulsion of the amount of energy—so what I'd like is for you to use some magic while we do the ultrasound. You're calm now."

"Alright."

After taking her blood pressure and heart rate, Brittany gestured for Regina to lay down on the exam table.

"We don't normally do ultrasounds this early in the pregnancy, but with the worries about your previous pregnancy and the fact that you were hurting while using magic, I would really like to see how everything is going in there."

"Is—is there a chance something happened after I used my magic?" Regina asked softly, her face hot and cold at the same time. "Could I have already miscarried because of my stupidity?"

"No," Brittany smiled as she stood to her feet and helped Regina lie down. "You needn't worry, Regina. You are very vigilant and if something had felt differently, you'd have called me right away, right?"

"Of course." Regina opened the pants button and pushed it down at Brittany's suggestions, and then shook her head. "I just—I haven't been as sick as I would expect and—"

"Okay, take a breath and listen to me," Brittany said sternly and Regina blinked, swallowed thickly and then nodded. "Every pregnancy is different. You weren't as sick as you'd have expected the last time, and this was a worry you had back then too. You don't have to throw up every morning for the pregnancy to be viable."

"I only found out I was pregnant with Henry because I skipped my period, and my nausea only came after that. As if it was waiting for me to find out," Emma said with a smile as she moved to stand at Regina's head. "And you've changed—your body has changed."

Brittany hummed as she pulled the machine closer and lifted Regina's shirt. "Now take a breath and enjoy."

The screen showed a grey blob and Regina blinked as she tried to figure out what she was even seeing. Brittany moved the wand around on her stomach, pressing hard.

"Oh," Emma breathed beside her and Regina looked up at her, reaching out a hand. Emma didn't hesitate to take it and grinned down at her for a moment before she looked back at the screen. "Look at that, Regina!"

Regina looked back at the screen, her eyes narrowed. "I—I don't see it." Her throat tightened and her eyes burned.

Brittany hummed. "Perfectly normal, Regina. There," she pointed at the screen. "It'll only get easier to see, but here's the head."

It took Regina another moment before she could actually see it. It felt strange, but comforting to know that the baby was still safe and sound inside of her. She swallowed thickly and blinked hard against the tears.

"Everything alright, doc?" Emma asked, squeezing Regina's hand tightly.

"Everything is alright. The baby is growing well—according to size, you're twelve weeks along."

"That sounds about right," Emma grinned.

"I'll just do some measurements here," Brittany mumbled and started clicking, a smile on her face as she did. "Everything looks amazing, are you ready to hear the heartbeat?"

"More than ready," Regina replied thickly and blinked up at Emma for a moment before focusing back on the screen.

The sound of the heartbeat filled the room within seconds and Regina breathed in shakily. Tears ran down her face and into her hair and Emma's hand tightened around hers.

"It's so fast." She glanced at at Brittany and wiped at her eyes with her free hand. "I never imagined being able to hear this."

"It's beautiful isn't it? I've always loved listening to a baby's heartbeat." Brittany murmured and then turned toward Regina. "I think now is a good time to use some magic?"

Regina hummed and then closed her eyes as she tried to think of a spell to use. And then she smiled, opened her eyes and waved her hand, her purple smoke floating above her.

"Wait—Regina," Emma murmured as she stared at it, and Regina wet her lips. "Did you just create a replica of the baby?"

Brittany chuckled, and Regina grinned as she nodded. "I did. Do you like it?" She asked as she looked up at Emma.

For a moment, Emma didn't say anything. She stared at the puff of smoke and then blinked. A tear slipped down her cheek and she breathed in sharply.

"This is amazing," she said as she tore her eyes off of the smoke. "Can you do that all the time? Are you in any pain?"

Regina shook her head, and looked at Brittany. "No pain or cramps," she whispered and then turned back to Emma. "I can do this all the time, if you want."

"I'd still advise to take it easy with your magic."

"Of course." Regina bit her lip and turned back to Brittany. "Can we get this on video? I'd love to look at it again later—and listen."

Brittany nodded and then took the wand off of Regina's stomach. She handed her a towel to clean her belly, and while Regina wiped the gel off of her, the doctor made her way to her computer and got everything ready to copy the recording to dvd.

"I'm positive that you'll be okay—that's why I'm going to schedule another appointment in about two months. You're twelve weeks along and as I just saw, you can check in on yourself whenever you'd like."

"How cool is that?"

"Very," Brittany grinned at Emma and then turned back to Regina, who stood from the table and adjusted her clothing. "The twenty week one is important, I'll check how the baby develops and you can find out the gender if you'd like."

Regina inclined her head and sat down opposite of Brittany. "Thank you."

Her heart skipped a beat, and her mind kept replaying the moment she first heard the heartbeat and she smiled. She glanced up at Emma, who hadn't moved much, and pressed her hand against her belly again.

"Here you go." Brittany handed her a dvd and then stood. Regina stood and grabbed Emma's hand, pulling the blonde out of her thoughts. "You'll get an email for the next appointment by the end of today. For now—I'd like you to enjoy the pregnancy as much as you can."

"Thank you Brittany. I think it'll be easier now that I know using magic won't hurt the baby."

"Definitely," Emma murmured before she squeezed her hand again. "Thank you, doc."

Once they were outside, Emma turned to Regina and hugged her tightly. Regina frowned when she felt Emma shaking against her and she held her tightly, her own body reacting to the closeness.

"What's wrong, darling?" She asked after a moment, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm just so grateful that everything is okay," Emma murmured and then pulled back and kissed her gently. "I really—" she breathed out and then kissed her again.

They hadn't talked about their confessions the week before, even though Regina had almost said it again and again every day.

Sometimes Emma would watch her a certain way and Regina could swear she could see the love in her gaze.

But mostly, they both seemed to avoid saying the words.

"Me too, darling," she murmured into Emma's ear after breaking the kiss. "Me too."

—SQ—

"Hey!"

Regina's heart skipping a beat just as Snow touched her shoulder. She turned on her heels to face the pixie haired woman.

"Snow."

"Hey Mom." Emma grinned at her mother and Regina took a moment to calm her heart before she smiled.

While they didn't see much of each other, she still enjoyed Snow's company whenever they spent time together. Emma usually chose to visit them alone.

"Are you having lunch here or are you going home?" Snow asked. "I missed you at work this morning," she added, smiling brightly at Regina.

"I had an appointment—why don't you join us for lunch, hmm?" Regina turned to Emma, who shrugged and then inclined her head, before she turned back to Snow. "We have something big to tell you."

"It won't be a secret for long so we don't have to worry she'll tell," Emma said jokingly, only for Snow to pale and Regina to roll her eyes.

"Very funny, darling." She linked her arm with Snow's and then pulled her into the diner. "Don't worry, it's not life or death."

Emma laughed as she followed them, and when they had settled down, she grabbed Snow's hand. "I'm just teasing, Mom."

"I know," she replied weakly. She turned to Regina, who sat next to her. "So what's the big news? Are you two getting married already?"

"No," Emma said, her eyes wide.

Regina raised a brow at her before she turned to Snow. "Actually, we are one step ahead of marriage—I'm pregnant."

"What?" Snow glanced between the two of them, confusion on her face. "How is that even possible?"

"Well…"

"No, I know how a man and a woman conceive—I just don't understand how you two could have—" she stopped and then narrowed her eyes at Regina. "How does that work?"

"Emma and I shared a dream—we were in a dream realm where everything that's impossible, becomes possible."

Ruby joined them and took their orders, while Snow let the news sink. For a moment, Regina thought she would reject the idea and start accusing her of cheating. But then her face lit up, and when Ruby left, she turned back to Regina.

"You share True Love with Emma?" She asked softly. "There's only one reason why you could get pregnant after all this time, right? You never conceived when you were with Father."

Regina shuddered and took a gulping breath before she looked down at the table. "I took a potion, but that's not the point. We don't have to share True Love because the dream realm works differently."

"But it would make it more plausible?"

"No, it wouldn't," Regina whispered but when she glanced up at Emma, she could see the realization in her eyes. The one that she felt herself—was it really True Love? "It's possible, I'm not saying we don't share anything, but I don't want to label this before we are ready."

"Exactly," Emma added. "It's all so new, we haven't really had time together besides at night, after Henry goes to bed. We just wanted you to know that you'll be a grandma—again."

Snow smiled brightly and took both of their hands in hers. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks Mom." Emma grinned, and Regina was about to reply when the door of the diner opened and Captain Hook swaggered in.

She rolled her eyes, and unconsciously held her free hand against her throat as she watched him. When he saw her, he smirked.

"Your majesty," he called before he made her way over to the table. "You look like you're enjoying your meals." He gestured to her body and she blinked in surprise before she raised an eyebrow.

"I imagine I enjoy my meals more than you do a shower," she muttered before she stood to her feet. "I warned you the last time you confronted me—it's time I make use of my magic again." She gritted her teeth, only calming down enough to glance at Emma.

Emma stood to her feet. "What do you want to do?" She asked gently. "You can't use too much magic, Brittany said so."

Regina hummed. "I can use yours," she said and then grabbed Emma's hand. She knew where to send him, and she knew if he ever did come back, it would probably not be before the baby was born. "Next time you come back, I _will_ be less kind than I am today."

She waved her hand, using Emma's abundant magic as she guided him away, and then breathed a sigh in relief. She turned to Snow, who looked absolutely horrified.

"Where did you send him?"

"I sent him and his ship to the other side of the world," Regina replied quickly. "It's not as if he doesn't know how to sail, and it just means he has to work a little harder at coming back here."

"Oh," Snow breathed in relief. "I really thought you'd just vanished him into thin air."

Emma huffed, but Regina stopped her from saying anything by squeezing her hand. "You really need to work on your opinion of my goodness, Snow. I've been working to prove that I'm good, for at least four years now. It's time you see that."

Snow inclined her head and Emma and Regina sat back down. "How is it I knew where you were sending him?" Emma asked. "I've never felt your intentions before."

Regina shook her head. "I'm not sure. It's a good thing though—you can vouch for me." She winked and then turned back to Snow. "I care for Emma, and I wouldn't use her to do something horrible to someone."

"I know," Snow whispered. She looked guilty now and for a moment, Regina enjoyed it. She enjoyed proving people wrong. "What was that about using magic during this pregnancy?"

"A couple of weeks ago I had a bad reaction to the stress and using my magic was too much for my body," Regina answered easily. "It caused cramps and while they were gone fairly quickly, I was still worried."

"The doctor said she needed to take it easy, no stress and minimum magic." Emma smiled.

"Right." And then Snow frowned. "How did Henry take it?"

"He doesn't know yet—he'll be next on the list," Emma replied.

Their lunch came, and the conversation shifted to other, more mundane things. Regina leaned back and listened to Emma and Snow talk about the baby, and Henry, and jumped in when Snow tried to explain something about the paperwork she did.

She enjoyed spending time with her people. She never thought she'd get this much love in her life—she'd always expected she'd end up alone and she shuddered at the visual it left.

But she wasn't alone anymore, and she smiled as she glanced around. She wasn't alone anymore, and she probably never would be.

—SQ—

"Hey, kid, could you come downstairs for a moment?" Emma called from the bottom of the stairs.

Regina rolled her eyes and sighed. He had gone up to his room right after dinner, and even though she'd wanted to tell him the moment he'd walked into the house, Emma had stopped her.

They needed a game plan, Emma had said, but they'd ended up with nothing better than to just tell him and hope for the best.

Her nerves were fried, and somehow her magic kept spluttering in her hands. The colors went from the deep purple she had always had, to a soft pink.

"He's on his way," Emma murmured as she hurried toward Regina. "What's going on with your magic?"

"Nerves."

"Why are you nervous?" Henry asked from the doorway, and then made his way into the study. "What's going on with your magic?" He frowned at her hands.

"I'm nervous, Henry, because we have something to tell you and I'm not sure how you'll react." She sighed and glanced at Emma before she said anything else. Emma nodded her head, and then took her hands between her own, calming the magic within her.

"Oh, that works."

"Henry, you—we uh—I'm—im pregnant," she stuttered and then closed her eyes as she held on tightly to Emma. "I didn't think it was even possible but here we are."

She opened her eyes when Henry didn't say anything and she watched as he took in the news, his eyes glassy. He glanced between the both of them, again and again, his eyes flashing.

"I'm—it doesn't make sense," he muttered. "I'm sure there's no way a woman could get another woman pregnant—unless there's magic involved."

"In a way, there is," Emma said quickly. "We shared a dream, it's all very complicated. But the important part here is, is that you're going to be a big brother."

He blinked, and then he stood to his feet. "Mom?" He held out his hand, and Regina breathed in sharply before she took it, her magic wrapping around their clasped hands.

He helped her up and then wrapped his arms around her, holding her as if he never wanted to let go again. She could hear Emma gasp. A sob escaped her lips and she pressed him closer to her.

"Oh Henry."

"I love you Mom. I'm happy for you," he whispered into her ear before he held out a hand for Emma too. "You too Ma. You ruined sex-Ed for me, because that doesn't make sense anymore now, but I'm really happy for you."

"You're going to be a great big brother," Emma replied and Regina couldn't help but agree.

He already was.


	11. Chapter 11

The lilac puff of smoke that hovered above her belly had grown considerably in the last month, and she could even see the change in her own body.

There was a slight bump now—one she could feel and see. Emma however, couldn't see it.

"I feel the change, I just don't see it," she murmured as she moved her hand slowly over her belly. She stared intently at the puff of smoke, now even stronger than at the doctors because Emma was making an effort to send her magic toward Regina.

"That's okay, don't worry so much about it," Regina replied, a smile on her face. She lay on their bed, only in her bra and panties, looking down at Emma's head as she leaned as close to the magic as possible.

"I mean, I noticed the change in your boobs," Emma murmured as she turned to look at her, and came face to face with Regina's breasts. They _had_ grown a size already.

"Of course you have." Regina smirked and leaned up on her elbows. She watched Emma for a moment before she leaned her head back. "I want to leave town, even if it's just for a weekend."

"What?" Emma moved up, her hand still on Regina's belly. "I thought you didn't want to leave Henry and magic behind."

"I don't," Regina murmured. "I'd love to take Henry with us—we did promise we'd take him out of town more often."

"That was before I saw how much it hurt you to cross that stupid town line. Why don't we just wait until the baby is born?" Emma blinked, and looked back at the magic floating above Regina's belly.

"I actually made the enchanted necklace I said I'd make," Regina replied as she covered Emma's hand. They spent a lot of time like this in the mornings—hands covering Regina's belly and the magic floating above them.

Emma's magic boosted hers and she took what Emma offered, enjoying the sight of her ever changing magic.

"You did?"

"I told you I would." Regina frowned as she ran a hand through Emma's hair. "I told Henry we would spend time outside of town, and I want to keep my promises. Especially now that we are preparing for another baby."

"We haven't really done anything for the baby yet. We haven't even done anything for us yet and we've been dating four months." She huffed. "Alright. Let's ask Henry if he wants to come with us this weekend and I'll plan us a trip."

Regina smiled and then raised a brow. "You?"

"Yea, me," Emma replied. "I've lived in a lot of different places and you haven't even been sightseeing in New York or Boston so we can go there."

"New York." Regina breathed in deeply as she closed her eyes. She wanted to see where Emma and Henry had lived in the city. "I've been wanting to see where you lived."

Emma smiled. "We can, I still have that apartment because someone made sure it was paid off."

Regina hummed and then laid back down, her eyes still closed and her one hand still covering Emma's. "It was supposed to be mine—if the curse ever broke and I was banished."

She mindlessly ran her hand through Emma's hair, enjoying the silky feel of it as she thought about the apartment.

She'd forgotten about it until Pan's curse had hit, but had written it into Emma's happy ending when she'd remembered, knowing that she needed a good place to raise Henry.

"You thought about everything then, because the apartment was perfect and it was close to an amazing school," Emma said and then shifted so she could press a kiss to Regina's neck.

"I didn't plan on being able to bring Henry, but I'm sure that I had him in mind when I bought it." Regina tilted her head to give Emma more space. "We could stay there."

Emma hummed and then looked up at Regina. "Forever? That would be nice, take out the whole magic thing."

Regina huffed. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you'd want me to stop projecting my womb into thin air." She waved her hand and her smoke disappeared. "It's time to get ready for the day anyway."

"Oh, Regina I'm sorry," Emma murmured. Regina tried to get up, but Emma held her where she was. "I didn't mean it like that—I meant myself. I don't like the fact that I don't know how to use my magic, but out _there_ I don't have to know."

"Why didn't you just ask me to teach you?" Regina asked as she settled back down again.

"Because—it makes me feel stupid, Regina. I'm the Savior, I've actually used magic before—I just don't know how to access it," Emma said before she sat up and shrugged. "And you're so composed and you just flick your wrist and there's a smoke baby floating over you."

"I had to practice a lot before I got to where I am now, darling," Regina said softly. "You know Rumpel was my teacher for _years_ before I was able to do more than heal a scratch."

"Wasn't that because he taught you how to crush hearts first?" Emma frowned, but there was a twinkle in her eye that told Regina it was just a joke.

She huffed and had to force herself to keep a straight face. "Of course he did. He never taught me how to heal to begin with. Just destroy—which I was good at, if I do say so myself."

Emma laughed then, and pulled Regina with her when she turned on her back. "You're amazing. I'm so glad I found you."

"Henry found _you_ , darling, you didn't even have to do anything," Regina winked. "I'm glad you're in my life too, Emma. Even if you're Snow White's daughter."

"Hey, you just added another thing you took from her," Emma said and Regina sucked in a breath. She started shaking her head, her heart beating in her throat, when Emma looked at her and saw the change. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Regina murmured as she rolled off of Emma. She stood to her feet and swayed before she steadied. That had happened a lot lately—mostly if she wasn't careful or mindful and stood up too fast.

"That's was rude," Emma tried again and Regina shrugged, but didn't turn around.

Even if it was rude, Emma was right. She had taken another thing from Snow and she hadn't even thought about it. For some reason, it hit her harder than it should.

And then she realized why. "These are just hormones."

"Oh," Emma moved off the bed and around it, standing in front of her before she stepped closer and pulled her into a hug. "I didn't think before I spoke—I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Regina breathed but she accepted the offer of comfort. She leaned into Emma's warmth and felt her magic reach out to surround Emma. "My magic seems to think so."

"What is _that_ all about?" Emma asked, when her own magic reached out too. "Why are we doing this?"

"I don't know, but as long as it's not harmful, I'm okay with it," she murmured in reply before she looked up. "So, New York?"

Emma hummed. "New York. We can even stay there more often if you enjoyed it there." She pushed her nose into Regina's hair for a moment and breathed deeply. "Whatever you want, okay?"

"Alright."

They got ready in silence, even though it was still early and a Saturday, and Regina set to work on making breakfast while Emma called into the station to send David home.

It wasn't much longer, that Henry stumbled into the kitchen and kissed her cheek. "Morning, Mom."

"Good morning." She handed him a plate filled with breakfast foods and then started on the second plate. Her magic reached out to Henry, and she pulled it back just in time.

He noticed, and frowned at her. "Why does it keep doing that?"

"I'm sorry sweetheart. I don't have an answer for that," she replied quickly and then Emma stepped into the kitchen. "It happens only with the two of you—as if my magic is trying to make sure you're still here."

"Or maybe it's the baby reaching out and getting to know us," Henry muttered before he dove into his breakfast.

Regina frowned, and then turned to Emma, who had narrowed her eyes at Henry. "Kid, when did you become so smart?"

He shrugged.

Regina smiled. "That actually makes sense."

"Of course it does. If it only happens with us, and the baby is magical, it's easier for them to reach out with their magic." Henry huffed. "And yours, because I feel yours more than theirs."

Emma laughed, a joyful sound that filled the kitchen and then she turned to Regina, wrapping her up in a hug. "You did such an amazing job with him, Regina."

"Thank you, darling." Regina pushed Emma away with a smile and then turned to Henry again. "Your mother and I have been talking about visiting New York sometime soon."

"Oh, cool," Henry grinned. "Do I get to stay with grandma and grandpa? Because grandpa said he would teach me how to ride and I really want to."

"Ride—you mean horses?" Regina asked softly, her cheeks flushing. When he nodded, she blinked. "I could've taught you that, sweetheart."

"Yea, but can you still ride when you're pregnant? Isn't that like, dangerous or something?"

Emma made a sound of agreement. "I heard that you shouldn't but I'm sure your mom would love to teach you when she's able."

Regina clenched her jaw and then tried a smile. "It's fine if you want David to teach you."

Henry frowned and glanced between the two of them, before his gaze softened. "I didn't even think of that. I'm sorry Mom."

"It's fine, Henry. Let David teach you and you can show me," she replied as he moved around the counter. He wrapped her up in a hug, and she sighed. Everyone seemed to want to hug her lately—not that she minded from either Henry or Emma. "It's okay, really."

"Okay," Henry replied. He pulled back and smiled. "So you are going to see the sights in New York?"

"Well, we wanted to see if you felt like coming with—we're going to the apartment and staying there. You don't _have_ to come," Emma added quickly and Henry widened his eyes.

"No, I'd love to, but I think you guys could use some time together without me butting in every five seconds," he replied and Regina sighed.

He was growing up so fast and seeing things more clearly than sometimes they did. It surprised her, and she didn't like surprises.

Emma grinned and glanced at her, and the smile fell from her lips. Regina blinked and sighed again. "Alright. You want to stay home?"

"Yea. I can come with you next time you go, right?" He moved back to his plate, rinsed it and put it in the dishwasher. "And really, I don't think I'd want to be there when you guys _connect_." He made a face to make it clear what he was thinking.

"Yea, good thinking kid."

"Emma," Regina raises an eyebrow. "Why don't you go see if you can get David to take over for you for the weekend, hmm?"

"Oh, right." Emma chuckled. "Leave on Friday, get back on Monday?"

"Yes."

Emma blew her a kiss before she left the kitchen, a bounce to her step. Regina rolled her eyes and then turned to Henry. He grinned at her—the same one she'd just seen on Emma's face—and cleared his throat.

"So I'll make sure that grandma is up to _babysit_ me?"

"No darling," Regina replied quickly, "I'll take care of it."

She smiled at his eye roll—which was more her thing—and realized that she was actually looking forward to a weekend spent with _just_ Emma.

—SQ—

Her first thought that Monday was the fact that she needed to talk to Snow about more than just the weekend she needed a babysitter for Henry. He hated it when Emma called it that but in the end, it was the truth.

The weekend had been planned, for the most part. Emma had made sure that David took her shifts for the days they would be gone, they had made sure that someone cleaned the apartment before they arrived.

All that was needed was a conversation with Snow, and Regina had been dreading it.

There was so much more that they needed to talk about, now that Emma had pointed out that she'd stolen one more thing from her former nemesis. She felt even guiltier than she'd already done, and she hadn't ever apologized for all the pain she'd caused Snow.

"You're awfully quiet," Snow murmured as she watched Regina.

Regina hummed and blinked as she turned toward Snow, trying to keep the focus on the woman instead of on her thoughts.

"I don't know if David told you of our plans to leave town for the weekend?"

"He did, actually. That sounds wonderful," Snow smiled. "I'm sure it'll do both you and Emma some good to spend time together."

"I'd like to ask you—I mean, I want to ask you if you'd mind watching Henry?"

"Of course not, Regina. I'd love watching him—he's an amazing boy and he loves spending time with baby Leopold." Snow narrowed her eyes and stood from her seat at the conference table. "Were you nervous to ask me? Even after all this time?"

"No—it's just—Emma pointed out that I had stolen yet another thing from you and—I didn't know if..."

Snow moved toward her and Regina bit her lip as she looked up at her. "Regina, I—I love you like a sister and I've already forgiven you for what happened in the past. I don't know why Emma needed to point that out in the first place but I'm not seeing it like that at all."

Regina blinked away the tears and then inclined her head. "How do you see it?" She murmured.

"You make her happy, Regina. She smiles a lot more now that you're together. Henry is happier too—he loves you guys and he loves that you're together." Snow pulled at Regina until she stood to her feet and then hugged her tightly. "You're an amazing person and you've grown so much since the curse broke. Regina, I'm so proud of you."

Regina sobbed in a breath and then held on tightly to Snow. It was still strange to have such a strong bond with someone she'd tried to kill for decades, but she loved Snow as much as she loved Henry. She'd seen Snow grow up into a fair woman, one she might not always like, or agree with, but she had grown up into a fair woman regardless of what she'd done to her.

"I'm proud of you too," she replied softly, choking on another sob. She swallowed thickly and then pulled back from the hug. "I'm never bringing this up again. But...I love you too. And I'm glad that we're— _friends_ —now."

"You're a sap," Snow laughed shakily, and wiped at her eyes. "Now that that's out of the way—Henry is _always_ welcome, as well as the baby. You should know that by now, and I would appreciate it if you didn't doubt that ever again."

Regina hummed as she watched a smiling Snow. "Of course, dear. And your son is always welcome with us," she replied and then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "We had actually asked Henry to come with us, but he said he wanted David to teach him how to ride."

"I'm sure we'll find the time to teach him some basics. I'm surprised you don't want to teach him yourself," Snow replied, her brows drawn together.

"I do, I'd love to teach him." She sighed before she sat back down, pressing her hand to her belly. "I'm just—I don't want to take any risks with this pregnancy."

"Oh." Snow nodded her head vigorously before she leaned against the desk. "That, I do understand. It's crazy what a first pregnancy does to your brain."

Regina cleared her throat. "It's not my first pregnancy, Snow," she murmured. "That's why I'm overly cautious. I—I lost a baby before."

"What? When?"

For a moment she contemplated lying—telling Snow it was after the King. But the look on her face gave away more than she was willing to, and she could see the realization dawn on Snow's face.

"It was in the beginning of my marriage to your father—he was ecstatic until—" she closed her eyes and swallowed thickly. "Until he got it into his head that I'd cheated on him. He'd heard about my trips to the woods with Rumpel."

"No."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't even have brought it up," Regina said quickly, already regretting telling Snow. Of course she wouldn't believe her.

"How could I have not seen that?" Snow shook her head and crossed her arms before she pushed away from the desk. She murmured something Regina couldn't hear and then turned toward her. "I'm sorry that that had to happen to you."

Regina blinked fast to push back the tears and cursed the hormones for making her want to cry so easily, before she shook her head.

"I hid it for the longest time—not even the King knew until I was already four months along. I just—I never wanted you to know what kind of man he was to me," she murmured as she wiped at the tears that escaped no matter how much she tried to push them back.

Snow was silent for a moment and then cleared her throat. "I think I knew what kind of man he was. I'd see the maids, crying when they left his chambers—"

"Stop," Regina demanded as she swallowed against the bile that rose in her throat. "I don't want to talk about this, please."

"I'm sorry," Snow started before Regina held up a hand.

"It's fine. It's going to need to happen sometime, I know that. But right now I can't handle the emotions that come with it—so please just drop it."

And so they worked in silence again.

There was no tension, just a comfortable silence as they both seemed to give the conversation some time to sink in.

It felt good to be believed.

—SQ—

"Do you have everything, sweetheart?" Regina asked for the millionth time as they stopped in front of the loft.

Henry rolled his eyes. "Yes Mom, just like the last few hundred times you asked. I have everything I need and I still have access to the mansion if I've forgotten something."

"Regina, relax," Emma added and ducked with a laugh when Regina glared at her. "Let the kid out and give him a hug, he's going to be _fine_."

She'd spent the whole week making sure that Henry wouldn't want for anything while they were out of town. There was nothing that could go wrong—she just hated leaving him behind.

After getting out of the car and letting Henry out, she grabbed him and wrapped her arms around him tightly. Her magic wrapped around him and he chuckled.

"It still feels funny." Regina had stopped pulling back the magic when they had figured out it was the baby—she didn't want to stunt any kind of development, whether it be magical or otherwise.

"I know you'll be okay," she murmured into his ear as he hugged her back just as tightly. "I love you. Call us? At least once?"

"Of course, Mom. I love you too," he replied and after one last squeeze, he pulled back. Her magic reached out for him as if it didn't want to let go, and she gently tugged at it.

"Have fun, and be careful with the horses if you do go riding this weekend," she added and he smirked. "Okay, I'll go."

She pressed one last kiss to his cheek and watched him as he grabbed his bag from the trunk, before he made his way to the door of the building.

He turned just as he was about to enter and waved one last time. "Have fun in New York."


	12. Chapter 12

Regina grunted when Emma pushed her back against the door of the apartment with just a little more force than she'd expected, but quickly recovered enough to grab the blonde and pull her close.

Their lips clashed, tongues battling over dominance and Emma's knee pressed up between Regina's thighs, causing wonderful friction just where she needed it. She pushed down on Emma's thigh and moaned into her mouth, her body on fire.

"Oh Gods, Emma," she husked as she moved in a steady rhythm. She had never imagined to feel this strongly for someone and she loved it, loved the feelings Emma gave her. "More. More. I need _more_."

Emma pulled back and pressed their foreheads together. They panted, both stopping their movements and then Emma pulled her knee from it's spot against Regina's clit. Her panties stuck uncomfortably against her, and she moved her hips.

"Come," Emma croaked out before she pulled Regina with her toward the bedroom. It was light and huge, bigger than Regina had expected. She wasn't paying much attention to anything though, when Emma gently pushed her down on the bed and quickly lay down on top of her. "God, you feel so good."

Emma's hands moved down her sides, and Regina shivered when all her nerves reacted to the touch. She had gotten even more sensitive as time passed, and she'd moved into her second trimester. Every little touch was more than enough to set her off—but only Emma had that kind of power over her.

Regina shifted beneath Emma, and pulled her even closer as she wrapped her arms around Emma's waist, deepening the kiss as much as she could. There was an urgency behind their touches, and before long they were pulling at each other's clothing.

"No magic to get this done sooner," Regina murmured as she pulled Emma's shirt over her head, and then quickly sat up and took off her own shirt. "I _need_ to feel you against me."

Emma rolled off of her and took off her jeans, while Regina worked out of her pants.

When Emma rolled back over her, her hot skin pressing against hers, Regina moaned and pulled her in for another kiss. She moved her hands down Emma's sides and then her ass, pulling her as close as possible. The combined heat coming off of them was intoxicating and she could feel Emma's damp panties sticking to her thigh just below her own.

She broke the kiss, breathing deeply. Her breath stuttered when Emma moved down, pressing heated kisses to her already heated skin, moving down and kissing her nipples, one by one, over her bra. She pressed gentle kisses to her stomach, and when her chin pulled down her panties, Regina shuddered.

She was ready for Emma's touch, and Emma took a deep breath and then looked up with a smirk. "Lift your hips." When Regina did, Emma didn't waste any time and pulled down her panties, her cheeks flushed with desire. Regina wet her lips as she stared at Emma's blonde curls, and in that moment she wanted nothing more than Emma's mouth on her.

"Please." She pleaded, when Emma settled between her legs. "Please." Emma gripped her hips tightly, making sure that she couldn't move away. Not that she even wanted to move away. "Please." Emma took a slow breath, and then gently blew it out over her center and Regina's hips bucked on their own accord. That was why Emma held her. "Please."

Emma's tongue slid through her folds without any kind of warning, and Regina cried out.

She looked up then, her green eyes flashing with her arousal. "Good?"

Regina moaned. "Don't stop, _please_!"

When Emma did it again, Regina shuddered and gripped the sheets tightly, her knuckles whitening. It was the first time for both of them, and if Regina had known Emma was so talented with her tongue she would've asked for it sooner rather than later.

Emma pushed her tongue flat against Regina's clit before she slowly pushed one finger into Regina's cunt. Regina made a low, guttural sound, and moved one hand to Emma's hair and gripped it, doing her best not to smother Emma as she pushed her hips up and Emma's head down.

She added another finger and pumped for a moment, slow and shallow moves as her tongue worked circles around her clit. Regina moaned, and moved her head from side to side as Emma picked up speed.

"Gods, Emma," she breathed as Emma circled her clit tighter, pressed harder. The heat in her belly grew bigger, hotter. It wasn't long before her entire belly felt tight with the heat, and then Emma moved her tongue over her clit, and curled her fingers, and pushed Regina over the edge.

She didn't stop, but pushed her over the edge again, and again and then when she still wasn't about to stop, Regina's hand pushed against her forehead and she grinned up at her. Regina panted as she tried to come down from her _three_ orgasms in a row, and Emma moved up and slowly pulled her fingers out of Regina.

A shudder moved through her as Emma settled down next to her, and Emma grinned again. "I kind of want to do that again."

Regina hummed, her body limp and sated enough. "I don't think I can handle more of that at the moment."

Emma chuckled and leaned in for a kiss. It didn't take Regina's body long before it flared awake again, burning hot and bright. She pushed emma onto her back, and slid her hand down her side and into the waistband of her panties.

"We are in no rush," Emma murmured shakily and Regina hummed in agreement.

"I know, I'm planning on taking my time with you, Miss Swan."

And she did. She tasted every inch of Emma's heated skin, nipping at her nipples and enjoying the way Emma moved beneath her, lifting her hips against the hand that tried to press her down.

"All weekend," Emma husked and Regina moaned as she moved a hand into Emma's panties and felt the slick heat encasing her fingers. "All for you."

"I know," Regina said cockily, a smirk on her face as she moved her fingers through Emma's heat. Emma shakily breathed out, and moved her hips toward Regina again.

"Please, don't tease," Emma moaned when Regina moved around her clit gently. She pushed her hand over Regina's and moved her hips, looking for that sweet release and Regina's eyes fluttered closed as her own arousal grew again.

She moved her thumb over Emma's clit and pushed two fingers into her hot wetness, pumping her to the edge and stopping just a moment, taking the pressure off and then repeating it again. Emma's hips bucked wildly, and when Regina finally went through with her movements and pushed her over the edge, she cried out.

"Regina!"

Emma ground down, and her back arched off the bed as she gripped the sheets. Her body shuddered and Regina couldn't help but admire the sight of Emma's orgasm face, flushed and heated and so satisfied.

She wanted to see it again, and again and again, but Emma's hand stopped hers from moving again. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not as sensitive as you are, and right now I can't come anymore," she panted and then she turned toward Regina. "I actually already came earlier, when you did."

"Oh, really?" Regina murmured surprised, pulling her fingers out of Emma only to put them between her lips. She sucked on them and closed her eyes as she moaned. "You taste delicious."

She kissed Emma, and then scooted down a little to be able to put her head on Emma's chest. She listened as time went by and her heart slowed down. She listened as Emma's breathing evened out and closed her own eyes again when Emma's arm around her waist became heavier by the second.

Sleep followed soon.

—SQ—

She hadn't seen much of the apartment the night before, but she had to admit that it looked really good.

It was light and spacious without being too big, and she could see Emma and Henry living here for a year—there were still traces of them all around the place.

"Most of it was already here, but we just made it home with some new pictures and stuff," Emma explained as she stood in the kitchen.

"I like it," Regina replied. "It seems like it was a really good place for the both of you."

She just wished she'd been there with them.

"We missed something though, I told you this before. I couldn't put my finger on it but something was missing." Emma handed her a mug of steaming tea. "I know it sounds weird and like I'm trying to keep you happy but it's true."

"I know." Regina breathed in deeply as she stared out of the window. "So, what are the plans for today?"

Emma moved closer and wrapped her arms around Regina, her fingers laced together on her stomach. "I'd go for staying here all day. Eat, sleep, sex, and repeat."

"As tempting as that sounds, I'd like to show Henry what we saw—I can't send him pictures of the view from the window every day," Regina husked as she leaned back against Emma.

It did sound tempting. To her, lately, sex _always_ sounded tempting. But she also knew that they needed more than just sex to connect and Emma knew it too.

"Okay," Emma sighed and then turned Regina around in her arms. "There's some things that you have to see here. Of course, The Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Times Square. We can tour some parks too, if you'd like."

"We can fill today with all the touristy things, and tomorrow you could show me around the New York you spent time in with Henry?" Regina wanted nothing more than to see the places Henry hung out, the places that they picked to get take-out and the places that they frequented together.

"Sounds like a plan," Emma said before she leaned down to kiss her. Neither of them wanted to move out of the cocoon the apartment seemed to build around them, but after a moment they pulled apart and Emma rolled her eyes. "I suppose we should get ready then, because I want to show you everything tourists seemed to want to do."

And she did.

They spent the day roaming around New York, taking busses and metros into the heart of the city, so that they could go the the Empire State Building, and took a pit stop at the Brooklyn bridge for a moment of calm during the day.

Emma showed her the Statue of Liberty from afar, and then made sure that they could admire it up close on Ellis Island.

Times Square was next, and they stood at the center and took a picture like real tourists, sending it to Henry only to get an emoji back that was crying with laughter.

They made their way to Central Park as the last stop, slowly walking around as they ate a hot dog.

"This is the most cliche day I've ever lived through, and I cursed a town to relive the same day over and over again."

Regina took a bite of her hot dog and moaned.

"But you loved it," Emma replied with a grin.

She nodded. "It was also one of the most carefree days of my entire life," she replied after swallowing. She glanced down at the hoodie she was wearing, and rolled her eyes.

Cliche.

Emma had spent the day telling her about what Henry and she had been up to in the year that they'd been in New York.

They had lived the life of a normal, New York family and there hadn't been magic, or pain, or abandonment.

They'd been happy.

"Would you want to go back in time?" Regina asked after a moment, and Emma lifted a brow in question. "Back to that year? And stay here?"

Emma narrowed her eyes in thought, and the silence made Regina tense for the first time that day.

But then Emma shook her head. "No. I can honestly say that I'd have gone looking for whatever was missing." She took a deep breath and then turned her head to look at Regina. "I might've thought it was for the best when we got back to Storybrooke, but that was just my fear talking. I realized what was missing when we got there, and I was afraid to admit it."

Regina frowned. "What were you missing that you were so afraid to admit?"

She had never heard Emma admit that she had been afraid of something, and her heart skipped a beat at the expression on Emma's face. Exasperated love.

"You, of course. I knew Henry missed you—he never said anything, really, but I knew that he'd dreamt about you. Just as I'd been dreaming about you," Emma murmured. "This mysterious brunette I had never seen or heard of."

"You dreamt of me?"

"When we got back to Storybrooke and I first saw you, I figured it out. The feelings I had—the missing someone? That was you, and suddenly it hit me."

"Wait," Regina stopped walking, her heart beating hard against her ribs. "Emma, are you saying you had feelings for me since you came back?"

Emma chuckled and shook her head. "No. I'm saying I've had feelings for you ever since you said you were alone and I had everything. Do you remember that? It was in that cave in Neverland, and Pan had just gotten to Henry's heart."

Regina swallowed and sucked in a breath as the memory washed over her. Emma had given her the control back, and that's when she'd _realized_ she had feelings for the blonde.

"I didn't know."

"I don't expect you to have known. With everything happening, I didn't even think about it until you had to send us over the town line with that stupid curse."

Regina bit her lip and blinked quickly to stop her tears from flowing. She had been heartbroken, having to send Henry _and_ Emma over the town line, while the rest of Storybrooke had to go back to the Enchanted Forest.

"I hadn't felt that kind of pain in a long time, Emma—and it wasn't just because of Henry. I don't—I can't even tell you when I started having feelings for you that were more than friendly, but I knew at that moment I would _never_ get my happy ending."

"For a moment you did."

Regina huffed and rolled her eyes. "You mean with Robin?" When Emma nodded, Regina shook her head. "No—I mean I'm glad that I got the chance to see where that could go, but being my Soulmate doesn't mean he's my True Love. I can't even begin to explain how wrong that whole situation was."

Emma puffed out a breath and then held her arms open, inviting Regina into her arms. When she stepped into her embrace, Emma hummed.

"I don't know what just happened but I'm glad that it did—even if it was in the middle of Central Park with a whole bunch of people."

"Very cliche indeed."

"I love you Regina. There's no doubt about that anymore—I love you."

Regina breathed in sharply and pressed her face against Emma's shoulder for a brief second. Her heart swelled at the words and she knew that she'd found at least part of her happiness.

"I love you too."

Things felt differently the moment that they had confessed their love, knowing that the other had heard it and that it _hadn't_ been a slip up.

The moment that they got to the apartment, they were kissing again. Emma had kept off on holding hands, not wanting to force Regina into doing something she wouldn't want to do.

She didn't know why that bothered her so much—it wasn't like she would want to change and hold Emma's hand back home.

"I'm sorry, I'm still getting the hang of this too," Emma had murmured when Regina had brought it up. "I just never expected you to be okay with public displays of affection."

The next kiss was filled with more love than ever before, as if they had to make sure that they knew how much love there was between them. It was beautiful, slow and soft.

Regina broke the kiss, after long minutes of it, and held on to Emma's hand as she led her toward the bedroom. She smiled softly, her eyes filled with everything she was feeling, and Emma returned the smile.

"I love you," Regina murmured.

"I love you," Emma replied.

—SQ—

Monday morning came too soon.

Sunday had been a slow day, Emma showing Regina where Henry had gone to school and where her office had been. They had lunch at a diner they'd frequented and had gone back to the apartment.

They'd spent the afternoon making love, and had ordered in for dinner. After that, they made some more love, talked about their lives, and went to sleep.

Regina sighed.

Emma turned to her, and then stepped between her legs with a grin. "I never expected you to ever do something like sit on the kitchen counter."

Emma's hands settled beside her thighs and Regina hummed. "You will learn a lot of things about me," she replied.

She didn't remember the last time she'd felt as comfortable with someone as she did with Emma. Not even Daniel had made her feel like she could carry the world and still be strong enough to be _good_.

"I look forward to it." Emma pulled her closer and kissed her then. Their lips moved together and Regina hummed against Emma's lips.

"Me too."

Emma deepened the kiss then, pulling Regina against her. Her body reacted to Emma's closeness, heating up and curling into Emma as much as she could. Her arms were around Emma's neck, her hands buried in her hair.

Regina pulled away, short of breath. Emma didn't stop, but moved down and slowly opened Regina's robe.

"Hmm, good thing you didn't bother with anything else yet," Emma said approvingly, a smirk on her face before she returned to her kisses. She palmed Regina's breasts.

She leaned back, her over sensitive skin already on fire as Emma moved toward her nipples. She moaned when Emma put her hot mouth over her hard nipple and sucked gently.

She did the same with the other side, and then moved down even more. The gentle slope of her belly was vigorously kissed and for a moment, Emma simply pressed her cheek against it.

"Emma?" Regina asked when the blonde didn't move. Emma hummed, and a smile lifted the corners of her mouth.

"I'm still in awe, that this happened," she murmured before she pressed more kisses to Regina's skin.

Emma wrapped Regina's legs around her shoulders as she kneeled in front of her, the counter just low enough for her face to reach it and she lifted a brow when Regina leaned forward.

"Lean back, scoot forward just a little, and lift your hips," Emma guided and within moments, she'd pulled off Regina's panties. The fabric tore as Emma pulled and Regina gasped.

"Did you just—"

"Yes, deal with it," Emma murmured before she looked at the sight in front of her. Regina watched Emma for a moment, and bit her lips as Emma moved forward.

When Emma's tongue touched her, she leaned back and gripped the counter, hoping it could steady her. She moaned, and Emma was urged on as she moved her tongue through her folds.

A shudder moved through her body and she could feel the tightening already starting when Emma's tongue pushed into her. She cried out when Emma moved up and flattened her tongue against her clit, and then moved back down again.

Soon, Emma had a steady rhythm going and she changed it up by adding her fingers. She slid two into Regina's cunt and pumped, while she worked her clit with her tongue.

She worked Regina over the edge with so much ease, that both were a little surprised. She looked up with a grin before she continued, and brought her to another orgasm.

Regina pushed against Emma's shoulders, and murmured as she closed her eyes. Her body twitched, and her cunt clenched around air.

"Gods, Emma."

"I know, it's amazing," Emma licked her lips and smiled before she kissed Regina again. Regina hummed again, tasting herself in the kiss.

"I'm sorry this has to end," Regina said softly as she slid off of the counter. "I'd love to come back here again, and enjoy some more of this."

"Me too." Emma leaned against the counter and smiled. "As it is, we have no time left. We should pack our stuff and get on the road."

Regina hummed but pulled Emma into a kiss and deepened it without a second to spare. "I still want to return the favor."

"We can do that next time," Emma grinned again. "I told you that watching you was more than enough to get me off. And I had another hand—I promise I'm fine."

"You get yourself off?" Regina asked, not sure if she should be pleased or annoyed that Emma kept giving but never expected to receive.

"Yea, that's why I love those dreams—it gives us a chance to, you know, orgasm together," Emma replied with a smile. "Come on, let's get ready."

"And we'll come back?"

"Definitely. It can be our second home," Emma said and Regina smiled. She liked that idea.


	13. Chapter 13

She was surprised, to say the least, when she got a call from Snow.

Regina frowned, her mind supplying more than enough reasons for Snow to call.

"Let's have lunch," Snow said as a greeting and then took a deep breath. "I really think it would do us some good to spend some time together outside of the office."

For a moment, all she could think was that there was something wrong, but she shook her head and pushed away that thought. Snow had really been trying to become more friendly, and all she could do was reciprocate that. "Alright. Lunch sounds great."

Snow sighed in relief. "Great. I'll come pick you up from the office at noon."

"Oh, I'm not at the office today—I decided to start working from home on Friday's," Regina replied as she leaned back in her office chair.

It wasn't a lie-persay. She actually had _just_ today decided she would want to be home more when the baby came, and she wanted to get used to working from home again. She'd done it more often than not when Henry was still a baby—but things back then were a whole lot easier.

"Since when?" Snow asked incredulously and Regina rolled her eyes.

"Since this morning. I want to be home more when the baby comes, and I did it with Henry," she explained. She then sighed and rubbed her forehead. "But that was all before the curse was broken and you all started needing more from me."

"So what, Storybrooke is just going to be without mayor on Friday's now?"

"Okay, no. Let's talk about this during _lunch_ , which you _just_ invited me to. I have a strong urge to decline now that I still can," Regina murmured the last part.

Snow ignored it. "You're right. This _is_ something we should discuss over lunch. I'll pick you up from home, then."

"I can still get myself to wherever you want to go," Regina snapped, before she sucked in a breath. "Excuse me. I didn't—what I mean to say is, why don't you tell me where you want to go and I'll meet you there. I'll need to do some shopping after, so it'll be easier to take my own car." She gritted her teeth as her jaw cramped from the sweetness of her voice.

"Okay, I was thinking that little Italian place—the _only_ Italian place." Snow was silent for a second and then huffed. "But you don't eat pasta so maybe we could go to Granny's."

"The Italian place sounds great, actually," Regina replied quickly. "I've been craving pasta and it's been four months since I last had some."

Sure, she had made it a couple of times because Emma had wanted more pasta, but Snow didn't have to know that. She also didn't have to know that pasta was one of the cravings she didn't give in to every second she wanted to.

"That's a surprise." Snow hummed and Regina clenched her jaw. It felt like the other woman was just _itching_ for a fight.

"Do you want lunch, or not? Because right now, you are making me wish I didn't have to."

"I'll see you there at noon."

"See you there."

Regina leaned back, her fingers laced together over her stomach and sighed.

Snow really did still know how to get on her nerves, but now that she was seeing Emma, she didn't want to start anything with her.

She hadn't wanted to start anything for a while, and that was regardless of her relationship status. She was very proud of herself.

She stood to her feet and looked down at what she was wearing.

She would _never_ admit it, but because she was working from home, and Emma had left more clothes even though they hadn't talked about their living situations yet, she was wearing a pair of Emma's casual jogging pants. They were more comfortable than anything she owned.

Her hand moved over her belly without conscious thought and she pulled on the waistband of the pants before she sighed. She _really_ wouldn't like it if people saw her dressed like this.

It was already late-she only had about an hour to get ready. She also realized that she was more hungry than she had noticed before Snow had called. She would've had to eat soon anyway, and why not go for the one thing she usually told herself not to eat?

While she was getting dressed, she called Emma, because she didn't want her to come home and find it empty, without knowing where she was. She had kept some of the habits she'd had during her first marriage after all, she realized.

"Hey, Regina. What's up?" Emma greeted, her voice light and airy.

"Your mother invited me for lunch."

"Oh," Emma hummed, and suddenly her voice wasn't as light. "That's cool. Thank you for telling me—I appreciate it."

"Emma," Regina breathed, her chest constricting at the hidden pain that she heard. "I don't know what's going on with her, but I will find out. You'll hear about it later."

"Don't worry, I'm fine." Regina rolled her eyes, because of course Emma wasn't fine. "I can't wait to hear what issues she wants to talk about now."

"Why don't you come along? She was worried about the town when I told her I was working from home more, maybe you could help make her see that it's really not going to change anything."

Emma laughed softly. "I think you can handle that perfectly fine on your own. Regina, don't worry about me so much. I'm fine—I was the one that told them to give me space, I didn't say anything about you."

Regina clenched her jaw and shook her head—it felt like betrayal. She didn't know why she felt so strongly about this, but she wished she'd said no to Snow.

"I can still cancel," she said. "I'm not really in the mood anyway and she was itching for a fight—I don't want to be that person for her anymore."

"She's not going to start a fight just for the heck of it though, so don't worry. Have fun—you work together and you've gotten closer, right?"

Regina knew that Emma was doing her best, but the pain was still very evident in her voice and all she wanted to do was magic herself over and hug her for a quick second.

But she didn't.

"You're right," she sighed. "I don't _like_ it, but you're right and I should do this, even if it's just to keep working on this—work situation."

Emma hummed in agreement. "So anyway, was that why you called?"

Regina narrowed her eyes. "Yes."

"Okay—well, I'm glad I could help, I just have tons of paperwork to do. I don't want to have to come back in tomorrow," Emma said. "Have fun."

Regina knew a brush off, she was very skilled at it. Emma, however, wasn't.

"I'll see you tonight," Regina said, her annoyance suddenly showing its ugly head. She gritted her teeth and then sighed. "You know this isn't my favorite way of spending lunch either, right?"

"Right. See you tonight."

—SQ—

She was still frustrated as she took her seat opposite of Snow. It had been a while since she'd been in the middle of something that wasn't her own doing—she didn't like it one bit.

"I have to be honest, I thought you'd bring Emma with you," Snow said instead of a greeting and then looked down at her menu.

Regina lifted a brow, her face already tight with the fake smile she was forcing. "Of course not, she's at work."

"And so should you be," Snow murmured but then plastered a smile on her face before Regina could reply to that. "So you've decided you want to spend more time at home?"

Regina hummed as she subconsciously rubbed her belly and watched Snow watch her.

"Indeed. I want more time with the baby, and the town practically runs itself most times," she replied neutrally. She kept an eye on Snow for a moment, seeing a lot of emotions cross her face.

"There were times that I had to go into the office during the weekends—stay long days, too," Snow said. She frowned, her eyes sparkling with all her prejudices. "Are you using magic to get everything perfect? Have you been—"

Regina cleared her throat, anger rushing through her veins and her face heating up. The vein on her forehead throbbed angrily.

"Stop right there." She took a deep breath to calm down, and then another. "I promised Henry that I wouldn't use magic unless it was absolutely necessary—you have heard about this. You _know_ I will never break a promise to my son. _Never_ —and still, you have the _gall_ to accuse me of using magic?"

Snow huffed. "It just doesn't seem plausible that you're going to work less, especially because we've had to work together for months to get through all the paperwork."

"I think we should call it a day," Regina gritted out. She moved her chair away from the table. "I don't _need_ your judgement or opinion on this—my mind has been made up."

Snow widened her eyes, and then pursed her lips and shook her head. "No, you're right. Don't—stay, please? You're right, it's not my place."

Regina clenched her hands into fists and counted to ten in her head, and then again, before she was able to look back at Snow and incline her head.

"You'll find that it's perfectly okay for me to work from home one day a week—like I said, the town has a way of running itself and I'm still going to be available for any emergency that may arise."

Snow hummed, but decided wisely to keep it at that and looked over her menu.

Regina on the other hand did her best to calm herself, her heart still thumping hard in her chest. She silently took a glance at the menu.

It didn't take long for a waiter to come and take their orders, and they sat silently as they waited. Regina had a feeling that whatever the reason was that Snow had invited her for, it would only make the situation worse.

So she wasn't in a rush to find out.

It was after their food arrived that Snow seemed to have found the words she wanted to say.

"I don't know how to give Emma what she needs," she said softly and Regina took a quick bite of her spaghetti. "She's been so distant lately and all I'm trying to do is show her we love her."

Regina cleared her throat after she swallowed.

"What you've been doing is smothering her with your special brand of love." She blinked when there was a flash of anger in Snow's eyes, but soon it was replaced by confusion. "I told you before, that you need to let her go in order for her to _want_ to be around you."

"How did _you_ get her to forgive you?"

Regina sucked in a breath, her nostrils flaring. "What?"

"You did horrible things in the past and she forgave you—why can't she forgive us for whatever she thinks we did wrong? Why can't she just let us in like she let you in?" Snow asked and Regina leaned back in her chair.

She was practically seeing red—Snow's red blood—as she let the words sink in and she clenched her hand again, placing one of her fists against her stomach.

"I know you didn't just ask me that," She gritted out. "I know you didn't just _rub_ my past in my face _again_ just to compare your pathetic situation with the relationship I'm building with Emma."

Snow frowned. "That's not what I'm doing—I'm just asking how you got her to forgive you. I mean," she shrugged, and then gestured toward Regina with her fork. "You were the one that separated her from us."

Regina took a shaky breath, and then another before she realized she was _hurt_ , and not angry. She was hurt because she thought that they'd passed the blame game and had gotten over everything that had happened—or at least were working toward it.

"Be quiet," she snapped. "I worked hard to gain forgiveness and I know that it's hard for you to understand, but what you're doing isn't doing _anyone_ any good. I am done being pulled in the middle of your trouble with your kids—and I'm tired of being accused of separating you when you could have kept her with you."

"But—"

Regina shook her head and stood to her feet.

"I'm done, Snow. I have been done fighting for a while now, but I'm done taking your abuse whether you mean it or not." She sighed, her throat tightening on the tears before she pulled a couple of bills out of her wallet and put them on the table. "Emma would want you to understand what she told you last night—she still has a hard time accepting her family."

"You don't have to leave," Snow said.

Regina stood still for a moment, her eyes burning with unshed tears. "Yes I do, because you are well on your way toward ruining everything we've built and I can't—" she shook her head. "I can't let that happen, no matter how much I want to hurt you back right now."

She left before Snow could reply, and wiped at her eyes quickly when a tear escaped.

She really _was_ done with the abuse by the White's.

—SQ—

Regina found herself in her office at home, eying a bottle of whiskey as she rubbed her belly absentmindedly, trying to figure out why that family always seemed to get to her.

Even Emma had her moments.

She sighed, and glanced back at the screen in front of her, her work half done. She knew she needed to finish today, if only to prove Snow that working from home would not change anything.

But it would.

There was a baby on the way and there was nothing she could do to stop everything from changing.

At least, if she was able to carry to term.

She shuddered and pressed her hand harder against her belly for a moment—as if that could keep the baby where it was.

The front door slammed closed and pulled her out of her thoughts, and she glanced at the clock on the screen. Henry should already be back—she could vaguely remember him greeting her.

It didn't take long for Emma to find her, a worried expression on her face. "I thought you were at the office this afternoon—I saw your car."

"I was shopping," Regina replied softly. She didn't know why she felt the way she did—how could she be sad when normally she'd let her anger rule her? "Dinner is as good as ready—all you have to do is heat it up."

"I'll get to that in a minute," Emma said with a frown. She moved closer and Regina watched her as she was being watched. Emma's eyes were dark as they took in every inch of Regina.

"What's wrong?"

"What happened at lunch?"

Regina wet her lips and shrugged with one shoulder. "Nothing of consequence."

"I don't believe that—Mom called Dad home early because she was upset, or something of the sort." Emma huffed. "He asked me to ask you what happened."

Regina looked down at her desk, and swallowed the tears. "We had a discussion—it got out of hand and I left."

Emma was silent for a split second and then laughed dryly. "That's it—that's what upset her to the point my dad had to call me to talk to you?"

Regina blinked hard and then looked up into the confusion on Emma's face. There was no way she was going to let this go.

"She asked me how I got you to forgive me, after everything that I have done—after I've separated you from them." She wanted to disappear, but as Emma narrowed her eyes, she knew something would change today.

She didn't say anything for a moment and Emma rubbed her forehead. "I don't get why they don't understand this."

Regina leaned back in her chair and rubbed her belly. "Wh—what do you mean?"

Emma's eyes were drawn to it for a moment before she blinked and shrugged. "I never needed to forgive you because I never felt betrayed by you, or hurt by you. Sure, you've done some fucked up things back in the old world but all you did here was be a good mother."

"I've hurt people," Regina murmured, her eyes closing. "I've hurt a lot of people and a lot of them your mother loved. She's trying to give that a place."

"It's been years. She can't say she loves you and that you're friends, and then turn around and not trust you or forgive you for the past."

"She actually can and she will."

"Do you still hold her responsible for Daniel's death? For your forced marriage?" Emma asked incredulously.

"No," Regina choked out, more than enough new _and_ old feelings surfacing at the thought of those parts of her past.

"I'll talk to her—she can't just go around hurting the mother of my children because she feels like it. If she has a problem she can come to me," Emma grunted.

Regina blinked again, her heart skipping a beat. "What?"

Emma looked up with a frown on her face and then widened her eyes. "She got to you," she said softly, before she walked around the desk and pulled Regina up in a tight hug. "We are in this together and she can't make me feel bad about that, Regina. You and I, we are a team and we've been one for so long."

Regina shuddered with the force of her relief and shook her head. "I just—" she broke off when her voice broke.

"Oh shit—can you believe I didn't even think about this?" Emma scowled before she pulled Regina even closer, her arms circling her. "I just thought because you've been dealing with that kind of crap for so long that you've—I don't know—you've developed thick skin?"

Regina smiled even through her tears. "I have thick skin—I'm also pregnant," she swallowed as butterflies fluttered in her belly. She hadn't used her pregnancy to prove something before and she knew Emma realized that too.

"Of course," Emma murmured. "I just didn't think. But—Regina, I'm with _you_."

"I know."

"I know you do but—do you really? You just thought I'd be angry because you upset Snow, when in reality I'm pissed that _she_ upset _you_."

Regina cleared her throat, and shook her head. "I'm alright."

"Of course you are. You're one of the toughest people I know—and I've been in prison," Emma added with a wink. Regina snorted, and she grinned. "I love you."

Regina hummed as she pulled back enough to lock eyes with Emma. "I love you too. I'm sorry for what happened—I really thought walking away was the best course of action."

"It was." Emma pressed a kiss to Regina's cheek. "I'll talk to her the next time I see her. I don't understand how she thinks this is okay."

"It's been okay for a long time, Emma."

Emma grunted. "No it hasn't. You've worked yourself to the ground making sure this town is still standing. It hasn't been okay for a while now and I think this is the last time that someone hurts you because of your past—I don't care if we're talking about my mother here or someone else."

Regina smiled. "You are my knight in shining armor, darling."

"Damn right I am."


	14. Chapter 14

Her heart thumped hard and loud in her chest when she woke up the morning of the twenty week check up.

Nightmares filled her nights so vividly lately, and she couldn't do anything to stop it.

She lay draped over Emma, Emma's thigh pressed against her center and even with the nightmare still fresh on her mind, she could feel the throbbing between her legs intensify.

Regina sighed, and the movement sent shivers down her spine—the added stimulation of Emma waking up and moving to stretch didn't help either.

Her forehead was still damp with sweat when Emma hummed and pressed a kiss to it. "Hey, nightmare?"

Regina hummed. "Nothing special."

It was a lie—she just wasn't ready to tell Emma about them yet. Instead, she turned on her back and pressed her hands against her belly.

She was still getting used to her body changing. Her breasts were heavier and her belly now popped more than she had expected.

Emma's hands joined her, rubbing slow circles against the skin. "Pregnancy hormones are a bitch sometimes."

Regina cleared her throat and inclined her head. "Indeed they are." Her center throbbed even harder as Emma's touch became a little heavier.

Emma smiled. "I'm excited for today."

"Me too," Regina lied and then clenched her jaw. "Nervous, though."

"That's okay." Emma murmured and then stretched again. She moaned, and Regina pressed her thighs together. "Okay, I'm going to take a shower."

Regina helped Henry get ready for school, grimacing as her panties stuck to her because she was _still_ too aroused, and breathed in relief when Henry was on time.

As instructed, Regina drank a lot of water. She already needed to go to the bathroom badly, and she sighed at her ability to plan as of late.

She seemed to have trouble with everything lately.

The morning went by without release, and Regina took a quick shower before they left—she didn't want her doctor to know about _that_ part of her pregnancy hormones.

That was private.

As she made her way down the stairs, she glanced at Emma. She stood in the foyer as if she had waited for her there, but she knew better.

"We have five minutes, darling. Are you ready?"

Regina watched as Emma pushed her feet into her boots and then rolled her eyes when the blonde grinned.

"I'm not the one taking all morning to get ready," she said before she pulled on her jacket. "I've been ready since we got out of bed."

"You don't have to adjust to this every day." Regina rubbed her belly with a smile and then sighed.

Somehow, she still felt overstimulated. Her body was reacting to Emma in a way it usually only did when she was touching her. And now, all Emma needed to do was smile at her.

"You look amazing though," Emma murmured as she stepped up behind Regina and placed her hands on her belly. After a moment of silence, Emma leaned in and pressed a kiss behind her ear. "Do you want to know what it is?"

Regina swallowed. Her heart sank, and she cleared her throat as she shook her head. She turned around in Emma's arms and shivered.

"No."

She still had nightmares about her miscarriage, and knowing would make it harder to keep her distance—if something were to go wrong she didn't want to know what she'd lost.

She didn't want to get attached—any more than she already was—to a baby that might never live. Tears sprang in her eyes and she blinked.

Today was supposed to be a happy day.

"Hey," Emma whispered, pulling her out of her thoughts completely. "Are you worried something is wrong?"

For a moment she considered lying. She didn't think she was ready to tell Emma the details about the miscarriage yet—she hardly remembered most of it anyway.

"I am," she choked out instead. Emma hummed and held her a little closer, giving comfort where she could. "I'm sure after today I'll be okay."

"You know you can talk to me about anything right?" Emma murmured into her hair, and Regina nodded. "You also know that you don't always have to tell me what's bothering you, as long as you let me know there's something? I just want to make sure you're not alone in this, and that you _know_ it."

Regina swallowed past the lump in her throat. "I do—I know you're here."

Emma pulled back and smiled. "Good. Are you ready to meet your baby?" She asked, before leaning in. She kissed Regina gently, and filled it with all the love that she had.

And Regina responded in kind. "As ready as I'll ever be," she replied when she pulled away.

"Okay, then let's go."

—SQ—

They waited in silence, the hallways empty.

Regina hated hospitals and the fact that she was going to spend more time in them now made her skin crawl. She shuddered.

"Do you even want to tell other people?" Emma asked after a moment, and Regina shook her head.

She didn't see the need to tell anyone—it was their business and she didn't feel the need to share _everything_ with the rest of the town. And to be fair, she was showing quite a bit lately, and she wasn't exactly hiding it.

"You know, I think they know. It's not like I'm hiding it," Regina replied and then looked down at her belly. "It's pretty clear that it's not a foodbaby."

Emma glanced down and then grinned. "No, that's—you're right."

The door beside them opened and Brittany glanced around before she spotted them.

"Come on in ladies," she said with a smile before she jerked her head to gesture them to follow. Emma held out her hand and Regina took it, using it to get up from the chair.

Sure, she didn't _need_ it, but she had found that Emma enjoyed being helpful. She didn't have the heart to tell her that she was fine.

For now.

After they'd settled in the office, Brittany got straight to the point. "Any strange feelings I should know about?" She asked.

"No," Regina replied, knowing _exactly_ what she was referring to. "I've actually never felt better. No more nausea and I'm not as tired as before."

"Good. Those are normal for second trimester—including some other things like heightened sex drive and weird dreams."

Regina hummed and Emma glanced at her, eyes sparkling. There was a promise in there, and Regina couldn't stop the smirk from appearing on her face.

"I've noticed," she replied, her face flushed.

"I haven't," Emma wiggled her eyebrows.

"I'm sure you will, Miss Swan," Brittany laughed softly and then turned back to Regina. She explained certain things about pregnancy and how they could keep an eye on other things if it were needed. "We are halfway there, Regina. If there are any worries or fears, don't hesitate to call me."

Regina wet her lips and tried on a smile. "You know I won't hesitate."

"Good," Brittany smiles brightly and then gestured toward the exam table. "I'd like you to settle down and get comfortable because this one is going to be long."

Regina took a deep breath and did as she was told, her bladder uncomfortably full.

"This is going to be fun," Emma said with a grin and Regina lifted her brows before she made sure that Brittany could get where she needed to go.

"You didn't have to drink a gallon of water before this," she replied when she had settled down.

"Now, I'm going to check for anything out of the ordinary before anything else, I won't bore you with the details unless there's something you should know," Brittany explained as she settled herself next to Regina's hips. "You have a moment to figure out if you want to know whether it's a boy or a girl, I'll ask when I've done all the measurements."

Emma stayed next to Regina's head, their hands clasping together tightly. Regina crossed her legs and wiggled her toes as nerves seemed to take over.

"You'll tell us if there's something wrong?" She asked softly, her voice breaking.

"Absolutely, Regina."

Brittany worked in relative silence for a few minutes, the only sound in the room the clicking of the mouse as she put down measurements and checked everything there was to be checked.

Regina had done her research—including on this twenty week appointment. They would check the bones, the growth of the baby, the uterus and the placenta. They would check the position of the baby, and then there was the moment that they could find out the gender.

She still wasn't sure if she wanted to know, but she had a feeling that Emma did. She glanced up at the blonde, and smiled at the brightness on her face. Emma really was the perfect partner for this.

The sound of the heartbeat filled the room, and Regina squeezed Emma's hand tightly before she closed her eyes and listened to the heartbeat.

Brittany hummed softly. "Healthy and strong, just like their mother."

Her own heart skipped a beat with the relief she felt, at the sound of her baby. She wanted to keep the sound with her until they were born.

"I'm still in awe every time I hear this," Emma whispered and Regina breathed deeply and inclined her head.

"Do you want to know the sex?" Brittany asked, and Regina bit her lip. "Regina?"

"I don't—I don't know. Emma? If you want to know, we'll find out," Regina said, and Emma looked down, her surprise clear.

"I thought you didn't want to know? You had a moment this morning and everything," she replied and then she looked up at Brittany. "I don't want to know. Regina doesn't want to know."

"Alright, I'll put a note with it on file," Brittany said and Regina breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't know if not knowing would help keep her distance, but she was sure she wanted to try.

"Are you sure, Emma?" She asked, glancing up at the blonde.

Emma shrugged. "I really—I don't really care if it's a boy or a girl, anyway. So long as they're healthy I'm perfectly fine with not knowing."

Brittany hummed in agreement. "And from the looks of it, everything seems perfectly fine. Now all we need is to take your blood pressure, some blood, and to weigh you in and see how you're progressing."

Regina accepted the towel that the doctor offered and wiped her belly before she narrowed her eyes. "Can I go to the bathroom beforehand?"

"Of course," Brittany chuckled. "Go, and when you come back we'll wrap this up."

> —SQ—

"You do know you get special treatment, right?" Emma asked as they walked into Granny's.

The remainder of the appointment had gone by quickly, and they had been able to leave with more than enough evidence that the baby was doing great.

"What do you mean?" Regina asked confused.

"You have a neonatal surgeon acting as your OB, you get special treatment," Emma said as she helped Regina out of her coat. "Normally you have a tech looking at the scans and then you wait to hear from your OB, even in prison they don't tell you everything right away."

"I'm still a queen." Regina smirked but then sighed. "I don't know—I just don't trust anyone else and Brittany knows me, knows my history and knows how—how difficult this is."

She'd finally said it.

Emma didn't respond until they were seated in their usual booth, her eyes downcast for a moment as she seemed to be deep in thought.

"I wish I could help you," she murmured as she reached over the table to take a hold of Regina's hand. "I'm sure someday you'll tell me what happened, but I really do wish I could take away your fears and concerns about this."

Regina sniffled, her eyes slowly filling with tears at the understanding on Emma's face—the love and the support was almost overwhelming.

"I appreciate it. And I _will_ tell you what happened," she replied softly, squeezing Emma's hand. "Not here, though."

Emma squeezed back and then grinned. "So the baby is healthy, and we are celebrating. What would you like to eat today, your majesty?" She winked. Regina rolled her eyes.

"I'm in the mood for a grilled cheese sandwich." She huffed out a breath and then glanced around. Emma _loved_ to tease her about her cravings—mostly because they were foods that Emma normally loved.

"Really? I haven't had one of those in weeks," she replied and then waved over Ruby, who wordlessly took their order and then left again.

"What's wrong with her?"

"Last I heard she had sort of a falling out with Snow," Emma said with a shrug. "I'm sure she'll be fine though. Right, Rubes?"

"Right," Ruby returned with their drinks. "I don't like the way Snow treats you guys. We had a discussion about it—I heard what she'd said to you and she had expected me to back her up."

Emma narrowed her eyes. "You mean what she said about forgiveness?"

"Who does that, Emma? Who keeps throwing the past in someone's face?" She scowled before she shook her head. "It's not cool, and I told her that."

"And she didn't like that," Emma added with a roll of her eyes. Regina narrowed her eyes as she listened to the two of them. "I'm sure she'll get over it."

Regina huffed. "With any luck, she'll only throw it back in your face after another decade."

Ruby snorted and then hurried back to the kitchen when Granny called her. Emma took a deep breath and blew it out as she turned back to Regina.

"You have people in your corner, you know?"

Regina hummed. "I just didn't expect one of those people to be Ruby."

"She's—after the whole Archie situation she'd been backing you up, making sure that people knew you were really trying." Emma looked up toward the bar, and then back at Regina. "It may seem strange, but she's not the only one."

After taking a sip of her tea, Regina rolled her lips. "While I appreciate the support, all I care about is yours and Henry's. I know I've done terrible things and I know for some people those things are unforgivable." She blinked and then took a deep breath. "And I know that I'm okay with that as long as they don't hurt you or Henry."

Emma smiled. "I'm okay with that too—as long as they don't hurt _you_."

Ruby placed their grilled cheese sandwiches on the table with a grin. "I'll be here if someone ever decides that they want to _try_ something."

She didn't stay for a reply, and both Emma and Regina dug into their food with gusto.

Regina hummed in approval as she chewed and Emma winked at her.

"You should never stop enjoying food again," she said after she swallowed her bite. "It's nice to see you like this."

"Like what?" Regina rolled her eyes and looked down at her stomach. "Like someone who enjoys food too much?"

She hadn't actually eaten much more than she normally did—her research had told her that she only needed about three hundred calories a day extra.

She had, however, changed up her diet to make sure that her iron levels stayed up. Brittany hadn't said anything about it and she wanted everything to be perfect.

Emma shook her head with a smile. "Like someone who enjoys the little things in life. I always thought you hated it but now I know you can enjoy things too."

"I've always enjoyed things—I enjoy spending time with Henry." Regina lifted a brow. "I'm still on the fence about time with you, though."

She watched as Emma's face fell for only a split second and she felt guilty right away, for making such a horrible joke.

But then Emma burst out in laughter. "Lady, if you don't like spending time with me we have a big problem—you're stuck with me for at least eighteen years."

Regina smiled and reached out, lacing their fingers together. "And I'm lucky for it."

—SQ—

It was starting to become a ritual.

With Emma's magic giving her a boost, Regina made sure that they could watch the baby as a puff of smoke every night.

While the puff of smoke showed actual movement, Regina hadn't felt the baby move yet.

She lay in bed, watching the movements over her stomach while Emma's hand was pressed against the bump, her thumb caressing the skin just above the band of her panties.

Her core throbbed.

Her own hand covered Emma's, just as there was a knock on the door. She bit her lip and pressed her legs together.

"Come in," she called out, and blinked when Henry walked in and jumped next to her on the bed. "Sweetheart."

The moment Henry was close enough, magic wrapped around him and she could feel the comfort of him close enough.

"Who did you think it was? Another Ma?" Henry grinned and then glanced up at the smoke. "Is that the baby? Are they okay?"

"Yes, and they are fine," Regina murmured as she pulled him into her side and pressed a kiss to his head. "How was school today?"

"Do you know if it's a boy or a girl yet?" Henry asked, ignoring the question about school.

"No, we'll find out when they are born," Emma replied and then looked up at Regina with a smile. "I think it's cool to keep it as a surprise, don't you?"

"I mean, sure," Henry frowned. "But how are you going to pick a color for the nursery?"

Regina took a deep breath and watched as her bump moved with it. "How do you think they did it back in the old world?"

"I don't know, magic?"

"No, sweetheart, they used neutral colors and waited until birth to find out the sex. Now, I'm not sure about Emma, but I'm partial to yellow."

Emma gasped and Regina knew she'd made the right choice, especially when Emma's hand tightened on her belly for a second.

"That sounds perfect."

Henry hummed and then gently lay his hand against Regina's bump. "Yellow sounds perfect." He looked up at the smoke and grinned when it moved. "You probably have to stop doing that soon if you don't want to find out the sex."

Emma narrowed her eyes. "Can't we just cover that part up?"

"I'm not sure, but he's right—if we don't want to find out the gender we have to be more aware of this," she gestured to the smoke. "I'm just not sure I'd want to give up being able to check in on them."

"We'll figure something out—but for now, let's just enjoy it."

And that's exactly what they did.


	15. Chapter 15

Her hand hovered over her belly as she lay on their bed, her stomach clenching and her throat tight.

Emma had already left for work and had made sure that Henry had gone off to school, but Regina didn't move from the bed.

She was afraid to move.

Today marked six months. Today marked the beginning of the end of her last pregnancy.

She gritted her teeth before she narrowed her eyes and pushed a little magic into the air, showing a watered down version of the smoke baby that she was able to make with Emma's help.

Everything seemed fine—everything was _fine_.

She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply and was surprised to hear the sob. She blew out a shaky breath and let go of the magic, knowing that these days it drained her more than it did before the pregnancy.

And she clenched her jaw.

Her breathing was shallow and she knew she was on the brink of a panic attack—had been for a while now and she didn't want to bother anyone.

She focused on the magic inside of her, the feel of it just below her skin and she took a deep, slow breath. She could hear her phone ring in the distance but she didn't want to get out of bed, she didn't want to lose focus on her breathing or her magic.

She took another slow breath and another and then, her heart finally calmed down enough and her hands stopped shaking. She hadn't even noticed how her body had reacted to her panic.

Her forehead was clammy, and so was the hand that pressed against the bare skin of her stomach. She blew out a breath before she opened her eyes again and blinked against the light that streamed into the room.

She rolled her lips and wet them before she sat up, and her phone rang again, buzzing hard against the nightstand.

She leaned back to grab it, saw Emma's name flash on the screen and quickly answered it. Before she could utter a word, Emma breathed a sigh of relief.

"Do you need me to come home?"

Regina narrowed her eyes, her hand rubbing her belly unconsciously. "Why would you? I'm fine."

Emma snorted in disbelief. "I don't know what you think _fine_ means, but I could practically feel your panic from here—what's going on?"

"What do you mean, you can feel my panic from there? Where are you?"

"I am at the station—you know this. I told you this morning when I left—what's going on Regina?" Emma asked again, sternly this time.

Regina took a breath and swallowed. "I think I had some sort of panic attack."

Emma sighed. "I'm on my way, okay? I think we need to talk about some things."

Her heart thudded hard against her ribs again and Regina licked her lips. "What do you mean? Emma—how did you even know what was going on?"

Emma puffed out a breath. "I don't know, but I'm sure we're going to find out. Let me finish up this paperwork and I'll be home with you to talk about this, okay? Don't—don't worry too much okay? It'll be fine."

"Alright."

Emma disconnected the call, and Regina leaned back against the bed and looked down at her belly.

"You hear that, little one? Don't worry too much, she says." She moved toward her closet and pulled out a comfortable outfit, before she made her way into the bathroom. "I am terrified. I'm not sure how to _not_ worry about this."

Her throat tightened around the words and she cleared it before she turned on the shower. She didn't want to cry, and she wouldn't. Everything was _fine_. She rubbed circles on her belly as she stepped under the hot stream of water and decided to try something else with her magic.

She reached inside, her own magic seeking out the magic the baby seemed to have in spades. How else could it wrap it's magic around Henry and Emma when they were all together? She reached out, and when she found the magic that wasn't exactly hers, but was, she gasped.

The gentle prodding of her magic against the baby's felt comforting. They had magic, and they weren't afraid to share it. She sniffled and wiped at her face before she pulled her magic back, not sure if it was safe to stay connected.

But the baby followed with their own magic, soft and gentle, and Regina gasped again.

When she opened her eyes, pink and lilac were swirling around her, intertwining and lacing together in a way she'd only seen her own magic do with Emma's once before, and she glanced around and watched it in awe.

"What are you doing?" Emma's voice drifted to her from the doorway, and she looked up to see her leaning against the frame. "Are you sure that's okay to do?"

"She's doing this," Regina said and gasped. More tears slid down her face and Emma narrowed her eyes before she stepped toward her. She kicked off her boots.

" _She_."

Regina made a sound that was half a sob, and half a laugh before she cleared her throat. "I don't—I don't even know how I know, but I do."

Emma undressed slowly, and then joined Regina. "Regina," she breathed on a whisper.

"Emma," Regina replied just as breathlessly.

"We're having a girl?" Emma's eyes were suspiciously wet and Regina pulled her closer, her arms around Emma's neck as Emma's arms slid around her waist. Her belly pressed against Emma's and she smiled through her tears.

"We're having a girl, Emma," she murmured before she leaned forward and kissed the blonde. Her magic, combined with the baby's, wrapped around Emma and her body reacted to Emma's closeness.

"What is happening?" Emma breathed harshly and Regina shook her head as she leaned against Emma. "What are you doing?"

"I was trying to reach out—I needed to be sure—and then this happened. I don't know how to pull it back." She hadn't even tried. The calm she felt as their magic laced together—she didn't want to lose that.

"You can't walk around with this around you," Emma murmured but the smile on her face stayed as she glanced around. "I have to admit though—it's a great show."

"I'm sure I'll find a way to make it stop before I have to leave the house," Regina replied quickly, and then leaned in for another kiss. She deepened it before Emma could start talking again and pressed herself against the blonde as much as she could.

"Regina," Emma breathed out before she pulled her even closer. Regina didn't know what Emma wanted to say, but something changed as Emma kissed her again, hard and passionate.

"I need you," Regina panted. "I need you so badly." Her core throbbed and she moaned when Emma pushed her thigh between her legs.

"You've been holding out on me," Emma hummed against her skin and her hands teased her sensitive skin. "Heightened sex drive?"

Regina moaned again, when Emma gently turned her around and wrapped her arms around her, Regina's ass pressing back against Emma.

"I haven't been hiding, darling—we always have lots of steaming hot sex, my heightened drive doesn't change that," she murmured before she pressed back against Emma, and shuddered when Emma moaned.

"God, I'd give anything to be inside of you right now," Emma murmured as she pressed herself even tighter against Regina.

"I could make that happen."

"Are you sure that's okay?" Emma moved her hand down and pressed her fingers between Regina's folds and against her clit. Regina jerked and whimpered.

"Yes," she breathed deeply and moved her own hand to cover Emma's. "It'll be fine."

Emma hummed her approval and Regina moved her hand over Emma's thigh, keeping the spell in her head as she did so. She moaned when suddenly, Emma's dick pressed against her and Emma shuddered against her back.

The water washed over them as Emma moved her hips, setting a rhythm without even penetrating her and using her hand to stimulate Regina's clit. They moved together, and Regina pushed her ass back into Emma.

"One thing's changed," Emma murmured before she trailed heated kisses on Regina's neck.

"What's that?"

"You seem more sensitive." Emma moved her hips again and her fingers circled Regina's clit one more time before she came hard, her body jerking back against Emma again and she cried out. "Point made."

"Emma," Regina grunted, reaching back as Emma's hand moved to cup her bump.

She had grown considerably in the past month and Emma had started touching her belly every chance she got. Even during sex, she found ways to touch her there.

Right now, all Regina could concentrate on was the need to have Emma inside of her.

She wrapped her hand around Emma's throbbing cock and moved it, smirking when Emma jerked her hips into her hand a couple of times before she pulled back.

"You don't play around," Emma hummed against her before she pulled back completely and then pressed her dick against Regina's cunt. "I know you're ready."

Regina pushed back just as Emma pushed forward, and both cried out when Emma entered Regina with ease. They didn't move for a moment, both just enjoying the feel of the way they connected.

"I've missed this."

They hadn't used the spell ever since the massage, when Emma had entered her completely by surprise. They hadn't used it because they didn't want to use magic for sexual pleasure, when they had more than enough other options.

"God, me too." Emma moved then, pushing her hips forward and then pulling back, her body shuddering as she did so. "I've missed it so much."

They found an easy rhythm even with the small unease that came with the position they were in. Sex had changed, but not always in a bad way. They moved in tandem, and Regina moved her hand back to cup Emma's ass.

Their breathy moans filled the bathroom, joined the steam and the magic still swirling around them. The magic seemed to intensify everything Regina was feeling, and she knew Emma felt the same way when she changed her thrusts. They became more shallow.

"Emma," Regina breathed as she felt the coiling in her stomach and she pressed her hand between her legs, rubbing herself. Emma kept her thrusts shallow for a moment before she started a deep, hard thrust and Regina moaned again. "Emma!"

When she came, she came hard around Emma's dick. She could feel Emma move inside of her, she could feel every definition of her cock, and then she could feel Emma spill her hot seed into her with a grunt. They both shuddered, and moved together for another while before all that was heard was the water beating down on them and the way they were gasping for breath.

"God, it's still so good to come inside of you."

Regina magicked away the flaccid dick and then turned, her legs shaky. She held onto Emma and hummed as she kissed her.

"It feels good to have you inside of me."

They moved together, gently washing each other and rinsing the soap off. The water was only just starting to cool down when they were done and got out of the shower.

Neither of them said a word as they dried off and got dressed, but then Emma stopped Regina. "We are connected, right? That's why I felt your panic?"

Regina blinked up at Emma. "I assume the baby had something to do with it," she said after thinking about it. It made sense—the baby had been reaching out to Emma ever since she could. "If that's the case, we have a very powerful witch on our hands."

And that scared her, but it scared her a lot less than the idea that she might still lose her. She took a shuddering breath and shook her head.

"What just happened?" Emma glanced around and frowned. Regina noticed it too—the magic changed around them, and zeroed in on Regina. There was a comforting touch to it.

"I—I think she's trying to comfort me?" Regina wiped at her eyes. "I've been having trouble today—I keep thinking not to get attached but when I feel her move I—Emma, I'm scared."

Emma gestured toward the bed and took a deep breath. "Alright, let's talk."

"Emma—"

Emma raised a brow, and Regina made her way to the bed. "Get comfortable, because I'm thinking we're going to take a nap after this talk. I'll text David to make sure he picks up Henry."

"But that just means you're going to have to face your mother," Regina murmured as she did as she was told. Emma narrowed her eyes at her before she texted David and then she settled in next to her.

"It's about time we talked, so I'm fine with that. Now—you want to tell me about what happened back in the old world?"

Emma didn't move closer, but she did put a gentle hand on Regina's belly and smiled softly before she looked up.

Regina bit her lip and swallowed thickly against the lump. "I was six months pregnant, and I miscarried."

"Okay, what happened?"

"I don't know, Emma. I think that's the problem I'm facing right now—I know my life back then wasn't—it wasn't ideal. I had a lot of dark feelings and a lot of stress, which couldn't have been good for the baby," she rubbed the part of her belly where Emma wasn't holding her hand and sighed. "I don't know what was wrong. It just was."

"What—was that your only pregnancy?"

"No—but it was the only one that got as far as it did." Regina shuddered. "I lost a lot of babies but mostly, I wasn't that far along."

"But this one you're talking about, the baby was over the halfway point," Emma murmured.

Regina shuddered again and wiped at her face. Her hand came back soaked and she stared at it for a moment before she looked back at Emma.

"She was beautiful. She didn't look like him at all—which was a blessing. She never stood a chance though."

"I'm so sorry, Regina. I can't imagine," Emma shook her head.

"I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy." She took a breath and wiped at her face again. Her throat hurt as she tried to hold in more tears before she spoke. "I don't remember much from that period of time in my life—it was bad but the miscarriage stayed with me and I'm just—I'm worried that my body might not be _able_ to sustain a pregnancy."

Emma was silent, as her hand moved over Regina's belly in circles. The magic swirled around them and then settled, and Emma looked up.

"I think you'll be alright," she said. She seemed so sure of herself. And then she smiled and inclined her head. "I know you'll be alright because you know what?"

"What?"

"You're so much stronger than you think you are."

Regina rolled her eyes. "This really doesn't have to do with strength. I have never been able to carry to term, and add to that the potion I've taken—there's no way that this is going to be alright."

Emma moved and settled beside her. "You'll be alright. Don't call me a liar, and accept that I'm here to make sure that you _will_ carry to term." Emma pulled her close then. "I love you and I will always make sure that you're happy and safe."

Regina shifted to get comfortable and then yawned. "I love you too."

—SQ—

When she woke up, she felt so much better. The bed beside her was cold, but one glance at the clock told her where Emma was—picking up Henry.

She knew it could take a while, so she got out of bed and made her way down the stairs, only glancing toward the room that was supposed to be the nursery for a second.

She'd held it off, had told Emma to wait until she felt like it was safe—but that would change. Everything was going to change now.

She pushed a finger against her belly and grinned when the baby reacted, kicking back.

A girl.

It still scared her, knowing that something _could_ go wrong. But after having told Emma, she felt much lighter. She wasn't in this alone and Emma really would make sure that everything was fine.

She smiled as she stayed deep in thought, a fantasy of what could come running rampant in her head.

An hour later, she'd almost finished with dinner and Henry and Emma walked into the mansion, both silent. She narrowed her eyes as Henry came in to greet her and then quickly left again.

Emma smiled at her and then sat down at the breakfast bar. She didn't say a word, but simply watched Regina as she moved around the kitchen.

Barefoot and pregnant.

"I'm guessing you had a good talk with your mother?" Regina asked. She turned back to Emma again after making sure their dinner wouldn't burn.

"Yea. We came to an understanding," Emma replied before she rubbed her face. "I mean, she's going to have to deal with the fact that I'm not going to be her baby again, _and_ that she can't keep throwing the past in your face."

"Right."

"She understands that I'm an adult and I make my own choices. She gets it, and I really believe she does." She shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure if she can get _over_ your past, but she's actually really trying."

"I'm sure that she is." Regina didn't say anything about the fact that Snow hadn't showed up at the office ever since their lunch, because she was sure that Emma already knew. "I'm glad you could work this out, darling."

She moved toward Emma and pressed a kiss to her temple. Emma wrapped an arm around her waist, her hand pressing against her lower back.

"You need to start thinking about the nursery."

Regina hummed and leaned against Emma, watching the magic swirl around them again.

"I was thinking the same thing—I can't keep holding off because of what ifs, even if those are still pretty big in my head."

"I know."

"You helped, Emma. You really did. I think knowing you're here—and Henry—it helps me," she murmured.

"I'm glad." Emma squeezed her close for a minute and then took a breath. "I meant what I said this morning. I want you to know that I'll do everything in my power to make sure this little girl is born healthy."

Regina's vision blurred with tears and she chuckled as Emma pressed her lips to her belly.

"I know." She wiped at her eyes and sighed. "So—yellow?"

—SQ—

On Monday, Regina sat in the office and wondered when Snow had become important enough to miss.

Normally, she would be sitting opposite of her at the conference table, chatting away while she kept Regina from her work, and _tried_ to help her finish any paperwork she might have on Monday.

Regina didn't _need_ the help—she'd been mayor for three decades before Snow had thought she needed that help—but she still appreciated it.

There was a knock on the door, and Regina startled. The magic that seemed to fill the room around her whenever she was alone, pulled back but didn't completely leave-it stuck around her as some sort of comfort and she smiled.

When the door opened and Snow walked in, Regina frowned.

"What are you doing here?"

Snow blinked at her before she sighed. "I came to apologize—and to help."

"You already apologized to the person that matters most in this," Regina murmured as she tried to pull back on her magic. The baby wasn't cooperating and kept pushing back, wrapping her in comfort.

"You're important to me." Snow moved forward and Regina leaned back in her chair, her hands rubbing her stomach without thought. Snow smiled at her then. "I don't know why I didn't see it sooner—you've been a big part of her life for more than just the past couple of months."

Regina sighed, apprehensive. "Snow—"

"No, give me a moment, please?" Snow swallowed thickly and Regina hummed.

"Alright."

Snow was silent, longer than Regina had expected her to be. Usually, she talked out her feelings as if it never hurt anyone—that was the reason they were in this situation in the first place.

"Forgiveness usually isn't for the person you're forgiving—it's for yourself and I've been having trouble with it because—because I still feel deeply about all the bad things that happened back in the old world." Snow moved around the desk and leaned against it, closer than Regina would have liked.

"Okay," she drawled.

"You raised me—even if you don't see it that way—and it really—it still hurts that you wanted to kill me even though I do understand now. I know now that I don't even know half of the story, I don't know the half of the why you felt the way you did."

"You don't," Regina interjected.

"I know. Believe me when I say that a lot of people I thought were with me, _weren't_ , because they had already forgiven you," Snow chuckled and then took a deep breath. "I know that even though we were well on our way to becoming friends, we still have a long way to go."

Regina frowned and looked down at her belly, the soft pink magic swirling around it. "I'm not exactly sure what you're saying here, Snow."

"I'm saying that I love you, and I forgive you even though you already were forgiven, and I'd like to try again. I'd like to help you, I'd—I'd like to be a grandmother to your baby."

The baby moved, and Regina rubbed her belly. She blinked against the tears and then breathed in deeply. She wasn't even sure what to say. She wasn't even sure what to think.

But when she looked up, and saw the hope in Snow's eyes, she inclined her head.

When the baby moved again, she held out her hand and Snow took it without hesitation.

"I don't know if you can feel it, but she's moving," she said as she pressed their hands on her belly where the baby was kicking and moving around. Snow gasped, and Regina smiled.

Snow rubbed her hand over Regina's belly, and smiled, her eyes filled with tears. "I can't wait to meet her."


	16. Chapter 16

The nursery was finished.

It was a soft yellow—not as hard as the Bug—and the furniture was handmade and gorgeous.

Regina spent a lot of restless nights in the nursery, enjoying the rocking chair while she laced her magic with the baby.

Tonight was one of those nights.

She rubbed her bump, still in awe how much her body could handle, and she wasn't even done—she still had at least two months to go.

Her nightmares had gotten worse, even though she was certain she would get to meet her daughter this time. Emma had already made sure that the hospital knew of her fears—as had Brittany.

And still, nightmares terrorized her in a way nothing else could. It made her want to reach out and check on the baby. It made her want to cry and curse and scream.

She usually made her way to the nursery, only to sit down in the rocking chair and then reach out with her magic. It didn't take much to coax the baby's magic out, and the moment she could feel her, she felt more at ease.

"What are you doing?" Emma's husky voice pulled her out of her thoughts and her magic reached out and wrapped Emma in a comforting embrace.

"Thinking," she said honestly, and then she opened her eyes and glanced at the blonde. Emma kneeled in front of her, between her legs and pressed her face against her belly.

"She's okay." Emma lifted Regina's shirt and kissed the bare skin there. "She's okay, Regina."

"I know." Regina cleared her throat and ran a hand through Emma's hair. "I know she is. I really am just thinking."

"Why don't you come back to bed and think there?"

"I didn't want to wake you." Regina hummed before she laced her fingers with Emma's. "I love spending time here—it's comforting. You did a great job."

"Henry helped." Emma sighed and yawned. "I always wake up when you leave the bed. I worry."

"I'm sorry." Regina nudged Emma, and when Emma stood to her feet, she followed suit. "I will be right there."

And she was. She watched Emma leave the nursery and took a deep breath as she forced herself to let go of the connecting magic. She had checked in on their daughter and everything was _fine_.

When she joined Emma, she was pulled into a tight embrace and she held onto Emma as if she were her lifeline. And she _was_.

"I keep having nightmares and—I know it's going to be alright, I really do. It's why I go to the nursery, because it helps me calm down, and her magic seems strongest there."

"I've noticed," Emma hummed sleepily. "Do you think that means she likes the room?"

Regina snorted. "Emma, she isn't even here yet. How can she like a room she hasn't seen?"

Emma shrugged. "I don't know."

"I love it," Regina whispered. She pressed a kiss to the skin just below Emma's ear and enjoyed the shiver it brought. "I think she'll love it too. The crib—the chair—they are amazing."

"Marco and August made them for us." Emma yawned again and rubbed a hand over Regina's stomach. "They want her to have the best of the best. And she will."

Emma fell asleep, but Regina couldn't get comfortable anymore. She stayed in bed, wrapped in Emma's arms as she lay on her side and swallowed against the heartburn.

It was still too early to get out.

She turned in Emma's arms after a while, tired of swallowing back the heartburn and then lay on her back. It was still not an ideal position, but she knew she just had to accept it for the time being.

She didn't mind.

Her hand caressed circles on her stomach and she grinned when the baby kicked, and then kicked again.

She gently pushed back, and then finally sat up. Her stomach settled and the heartburn did too, and she sighed with relief.

She was out of bed and down the stairs before she heard the shower start and she knew Henry was up and getting ready for school.

She moved around the kitchen making him a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs with sausage. She finished plating it just as he walked in.

The magic curled around him and he grinned at her before he dug into his breakfast.

"So—grandma asked if I could stay for the weekend," he mumbled around his food and Regina lifted her brows. He shrugged. "I have this school project coming up and I asked her for help."

"Alright." She didn't want to feel hurt that he didn't ask her, but she did. She cleared her throat. "I'll talk to her about it later."

"Mom, I would have asked you but you've been busy lately," Henry said suddenly and she glanced up at him, not even having realized that he had been watching her. "And kind of distracted with baby girl," he added.

"I know." She couldn't keep her focus on anything lately, and all she wanted to do was fill the nursery with clothes and everything else they needed.

"And I know Ma is just as distracted as you are, so I thought I'd just ask grandma." He finished his breakfast and rinsed his plate before he put it in the dishwasher.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. We should pay more attention to you." Regina held out her arms and he stepped into her embrace without a second thought. "I know we were going to do things together before I found out I was pregnant, and I'm sure we'll do everything we planned even with the baby."

"I know." Henry buried his face into her neck and sighed. "We still spend a lot of fun time together, I don't need to go somewhere to have fun."

She smiled and pressed a kiss to his head. "I love you, my prince, and you'll always be the most important man in my life."

"I'll be the only man in your life," Henry grinned and rolled his eyes. "I love you too Mom."

Regina blinked away the tears, and when she looked up, Emma stood in the doorway with her arms crossed and a smile on her face.

"I love you too, kid. Go get your bag—your bus is almost here," she said and Henry stepped out of Regina's arms and into Emma's.

"Love you too Ma," he mumbled before he quickly made his way out of the kitchen.

Emma chuckled. "We are just throwing around love." She moved toward Regina and wrapped her in an embrace. "So what was the occasion?"

"I feel like we don't give him enough attention, with the baby coming and our focus being on her," Regina replied as she settled into Emma's arms as best as she could with her belly in the way. "He says he's okay but I'd love to spend some quality time with him outside of Storybrooke. Before she's due—maybe we can spend a weekend at the apartment?"

"That sounds like a great idea."

> —SQ—

It took a bit of planning.

It also took adjusting to _not_ spending time shopping for baby clothes and everything else she might need, while they were in New York.

With her pregnancy brain, all she could think about was getting everything ready for the baby and then some.

Emma helped, more than Regina wanted to admit.

"Alright—this is your weekend kid, use it wisely. Right now, we're still all yours," Emma said as they parked under the building.

The drive over had been uneventful, and Henry had spent most of the time on his phone.

He looked up as the car stopped moving and then glanced between the two of them. "You do know this wasn't really necessary right? I would've been good with just some time together at home."

Regina rolled her eyes and got out of the car, which had become a little more of a struggle now that her center of gravity had moved.

Henry and Emma followed her lead, and both scrambled out of the car when she moved toward the trunk. She couldn't help but smile.

"What do you want to do this weekend, sweetheart?" She asked him, pulling him aside as Emma lifted their bags out of the trunk. "I was hoping you could show me some of your favorite places—you told me about the apple tree?"

Henry brightened. "Oh, yea! I thought Ma already showed you all the places we went to here?"

"Not _all_ the places," Emma interjected. "We did the touristy stuff and I showed her some of the places we spent time at, but I couldn't show her everything."

"And I never asked about the tree because I wanted _you_ to show me." Regina followed the two as they made their way up to the apartment. It had been their home for a year.

"Well, I know some places to show you, and there's some awesome shops for baby stuff around here," Henry said excitedly as he dropped his bag on the kitchen table.

"Henry," Emma scolded, and he quickly pulled the bag on the floor. "Why don't we get settled and relax for a bit? We can go out for dinner tonight?"

"Sounds like a plan." Regina rubbed her belly and breathed as deeply as she could before she yawned.

"A nap sounds great right about now." Emma winked at her and Henry rolled his eyes. "And yes, you can play a game as long as you keep it down."

Henry settled down in the living room with his gaming system, and Emma followed Regina into the bedroom they shared. They didn't say anything, but silently changed into something more comfortable and then settled into the bed.

"We might want to figure out a way to fit our daughter in here too. We can't just chase Henry out of his room," Regina said, and then yawned again.

The lack of sleep was really getting to her.

Emma hummed as she rolled on her side, facing her. "I'm sure we'll find a way. For the time being, she can sleep in here with us, there's more than enough room."

"I'm glad we got to do this before she's here."

Emma reached out and rubbed her belly, and the baby kicked against her hand. They both smiled.

"Me too. He might say he doesn't care, but I'm sure we can make this a weekend to remember," Emma murmured. "Just the three of us for now, and baby girl Mills still safe and sound inside her mother."

"Swan-Mills."

Emma blinked and her smile turned soft, wet.

"Really?"

"Of course," Regina replied with a confused frown. "Emma, she's yours. She's your daughter and I know we should make sure _everyone_ knows."

"I didn't even—it didn't even cross my mind."

"I've been thinking about it a lot," Regina murmured and wiped at Emma's face when a tear slid down into her hair. "We should ask Henry if he'd want a name change too—we can be a real family."

"Thank you."

Regina smiled, and then leaned forward to kiss Emma. It was soft and filled with so much that Emma sobbed and Regina swallowed thickly.

"We're in this together whether you like it or not, darling."

Emma settled in closer and closed her eyes, a smile on her face. "I can't wait for the rest of our lives."

—SQ—

"I don't think Mom will agree to that."

Henry's voice reached her ears and Regina blinked herself awake as she turned on her back with a soft grunt.

The door was open, and she could hear the game he was playing in the background.

"She's seven months pregnant—walking around isn't easy with the excess baggage and I'm sure she'll be fine if I just get takeout."

Emma sounded just as tired as Regina felt and Henry seemed to hear it too. "Yea. Maybe."

"So, Chinese? Or burgers?"

"Burgers." Henry cleared his throat and the game went silent. "Is she okay?"

"Yea, of course she is, kid—why wouldn't she be?" Emma asked and Regina struggled to sit up as she strained her ears. "Carrying around a baby is pretty draining."

"Yea, but I mean, she's been distracted and worried, and whenever she wakes up in the middle of the night she goes to the nursery. Is there something wrong with the baby that you're not telling me?"

Emma was silent for a long time and Regina scrambled off the bed, and quickly made her way to the living room.

"Nothing is wrong with the baby," she told Henry as she moved toward him and sat down next to him on the couch. Her body was still buzzing after having just woken up, and she yawned. "Give me your hand."

"What?"

She held out her hand. "Give me your hand, she's kicking up a storm." Henry gave her his hand and she pressed it to her belly. "Everything is fine."

Emma smiled at them and then stood to her feet. "I'm going to get us some food—we can go out tomorrow."

"You could just call in, right?" Regina asked, her hand still pressed over Henry's on her stomach. The baby really didn't let up, and she winced when she kicked particularly hard against Henry's hand. "You don't have to go out."

Emma grabbed her keys and dangled them in her hand for a moment, before she cleared her throat.

"I think I could use a moment," Emma murmured and Regina hummed in understanding. "I'll be right back anyway."

"Be careful," Regina said, and Emma winked before she left the apartment. When Regina turned back to Henry, he was watching her in awe. "What?"

"Isn't she hurting you?" He asked as his thumb moved slowly over her belly. "She's really going at it."

"She likes you," Regina replied. "She reacts to your touch, your voice. Just like she does with Emma."

Henry kept his hand where it was even when she leaned back, and even when she let go of his hand. He watched in awe still, as the baby kicked against his hand.

"But it doesn't hurt?"

"Not as much as you'd think." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I never expected this to happen so I—I have been trying to enjoy it."

"I get that." Henry moved closer and leaned against her, not really her little boy anymore, but not yet grown up. "Why didn't you expect this to happen?"

"Well, first of all—because Emma is very much a woman," she replied with a chuckle and he flushed. "But mostly because I've—I've never been able to carry to term."

"Why not?" He asked softly. She blinked and rolled her eyes up to stop the tears. "Does it matter now that you are carrying a healthy baby?"

"No," she choked out. "It doesn't matter—I know she'll be okay. I'm sorry, sweetheart. I don't know why I said anything." She wiped at her eyes and cleared her throat.

"It's okay. I'm glad you did." He shrugged. "I've been worried about you."

"I know, and that makes it even worse—but things are going to change, okay? We'll open dialogue and whenever something is wrong, we will all talk."

Henry hummed in agreement before he turned back to his game, still pressed as close to her as he could without limiting his movements.

And for the first time since she'd found out she was pregnant she really _did_ believe that everything would be okay.

—SQ—

Regina had never heard of a _healthy_ burger, but the burger that Emma came home with was delicious.

"It's actually from a place called Ruby's. We found it back when we first came to New York and it was like coming home," Emma said with a grin and Henry widened his eyes.

"I didn't even think of that," he exclaimed happily and then he turned to Regina. "The owner is this old lady and her daughter works there too. It's like Granny's."

Regina smiled. "So in a way you always had a little bit of home with you."

They ate silently, except for the sounds of enjoyment coming from Regina as she decided that this was the best burger she'd tasted.

Henry had a flush and Emma narrowed her eyes and then kept them trained on her plate.

When their plates were emptied, Henry stood to his feet and took them to the kitchen. He was about to move to the living room to grab his bag when Regina stopped him.

"Would you mind sitting down for a moment? I—Emma and I have something to ask you."

Henry frowned but sat down next to her, and suddenly she was surrounded. Henry sat on one side, and Emma sat on the other side and she pushed back the chair to be able to watch them both.

Henry glanced between the two of them. "So when the baby is born—"

"Give your mother some time," Emma interrupted him softly and he blinked but nodded.

"The baby is going to carry both our names," Regina said and glanced back at Emma before she focused on Henry. "She's going to be baby Swan-Mills."

"Oh," Henry said, confused. "That's cool, I guess."

Regina swallowed and huffed out a breath, she didn't understand why it was so hard to ask him.

"Sweetheart, I— _we_ wanted to ask you if you'd be okay with a name change like that too."

Henry widened his eyes. "Are you guys getting married? Because I'm totally for that."

Regina blinked and Emma chuckled. "Maybe someday. For now, we want both of our kids to carry both of our names, if you are okay with that."

She watched Emma, her ears buzzing as she thought about Henry's question. She knew now wasn't the time to talk about it, but did they want to get married?

Henry placed a gentle and tentative hand on her stomach and Regina covered his hand with hers.

"Henry Swan-Mills does have a really nice ring to it," he murmured, and when he looked it his eyes were red as if he was holding back tears.

"That's settled then."

And it was only later that Regina couldn't push the question away again, and she turned on her side with difficulty and faced Emma as they prepared to go to sleep.

"Do you think we should get married?"

Emma blinked before she looked up and with a smile, she shook her head. She _knew_ Regina's history with marriage.

"I don't think it's necessary, we can get married if you want, but I know I have you and the kids and I won't lose you," she said.

And Regina realized that Emma had gotten over one of her biggest fears—being left by the people she loved. She didn't know when it had happened, but she knew that Emma really was okay without that paper that said they were family.

"I'm so proud of you," she whispered and then wiped at her eyes. "I don't think I ever want to get married again, but I do believe that you'd be my only exception."

—SQ—

Their weekend was filled with joy and love.

Henry took Regina to see the apple tree that had reminded him of hers, and she had to admit it did have the same feel to it as her own did.

Magical.

He showed her around the places he hung out with his friends. He let her in on his writing as they sat beneath a tree at the park.

She knew she'd have trouble getting up, but the joy on his face when she sank down next to him was worth every discomforting feeling she might have.

"Sometimes I really want to write the story of the girl who became the Evil Queen."

His words took a moment to sink in and she turned to him with some trepidation. "You know—her life wasn't as special as everyone thinks."

"So she really just became the Evil Queen because Snow White told a secret?" He asked, already knowing the answer to that.

Regina shook her head and sighed. "Of course not."

"Maybe someday, right?" He murmured as he leaned against her while she read through his writing. "Maybe someday I can write her story and finally do her justice."

"Maybe."


	17. Chapter 17

It was six in the morning when her back started aching and she got out of bed before she could wake Emma with her gasping breaths.

She didn't know what it was.

Sure, she'd had a back ache before, she had been walking around with them until Emma massaged her. Regina _knew_ there was magic involved.

She clambered out of her side of the bed and arched her back, her fingers pressing into the muscles in her lower back.

The pain was breathtaking for only a moment longer, and then it lessened. She narrowed her eyes, and then sighed.

Awake now, she made her way downstairs and turned on the coffee machine—it wouldn't take long for Emma to wake up to find her gone.

As she moved around to make herself some tea, the baby kicked. She sighed again, and rubbed her belly as she waited for the water to boil.

"You've been using magic to reach out, but you can't take away the discomfort or the pain," she mumbled, her mind on her baby girl.

She already had a name in mind, but she wasn't sure if Emma would agree. She wanted to blurt it out every time they talked about it, but she didn't want to hear Emma reject it before she saw the baby.

Pink magic pulled out her purple magic and intertwined with it. She smiled as she watched the show—she liked the sight but she loved the feeling.

She felt so much closer to the baby, in those moments.

The coffee was done, and the scent of it turned her stomach. Ever since she'd found out she was pregnant, coffee was one of the things she'd had to avoid—it made her sick even now.

She _hoped_ she could drink it again when the baby was born—she'd been an addict and it had been one of the harder things to give up.

The cramps in her back returned just as Emma walked into the kitchen, her eyes blurry with sleep still.

Regina breathed in harshly and pushed her hand against her back again.

Emma watched her, her eyes darkening with worry. Regina shook her head as the blonde opened her mouth and swallowed.

"What's going on?"

"Muscle cramps," Regina breathed and she rubbed the spot on her back. "One woke me up this morning, I just need to drink more."

Emma hummed and poured herself a cup of coffee, keeping it as far away from Regina as she could before she made her way over and pressed her hand into Regina's back.

"I had back pains with Henry, and the only thing that might've helped, no one was willing to do for me," Emma murmured.

Regina snorted. "What, sex?"

"No, a good back massage. I know it's kind of hard considering that you—anyway, sex might help too, but I doubt it." Emma grinned. "If you need me to try, I'm definitely willing."

She rolled her eyes. "As if I'm attractive enough to get you going right now," she huffed and then she turned away from Emma.

She didn't want to see the rejection or agreement on Emma's face. She rubbed a hand over her forehead and then grunted when the baby kicked.

"You know, I'm sure the regular sex we've been having should tell you something," Emma said, moving closer again and pulling Regina back against her. "But if by chance I did it wrong, I'd love to tell you how attractive you are, especially now."

Regina shuddered and a smile lifted the corners of her mouth when Emma's lips pressed against the skin of her neck.

She hummed. "Do tell."

Emma swayed and breathed in deeply, taking in the scent that was Regina. "The one fact that matters to me, is that you're carrying my daughter in here." She cupped Regina's belly and rubbed her thumbs up and down.

The baby kicked and Regina grunted. "And she makes me look like a whale."

"She makes you beautiful. I know how hard it is to see that, especially because you can't even see your feet right now, but Regina—you are so beautiful carrying my daughter. If there was a way to have this again, I'd already be planning it because you are gorgeous."

Regina wet her lips and turned in Emma's arms. She didn't know what to say—Emma had never failed to make her feel beautiful and she loved her for it.

"I don't even—thank you," she murmured as she pressed her lips to Emma's. And then again, and again. Neither deepened the kisses, both content with it just the way it was.

"Please stop," Henry's voice sounded behind them and Regina smirked as she pulled back, her body lighter than it had been. She turned in Emma's arms and laced her fingers with Emma's on her belly.

"Good morning, sweetheart," she greeted him, and he grunted out a reply. "Do you want some breakfast? You're up early."

Emma hummed behind her and then pulled back. A shiver went down Regina's spine at the loss of heat.

"I'll get some cereal," Henry replied and grabbed a bowl. "I'm up early because—I don't even know." He shrugged and glanced around. Magic twirled around him, and he huffed.

Emma handed him the milk from the fridge and then poured herself a bowl of cereal too.

"I'm working a half day at the station today—I asked David to cover for me so that I can help you finish up the last of the things we need to do," she told Regina.

Regina frowned. "I was under the impression we had everything done."

They had enough clothes to last the baby a lifetime, more than enough diapers for the first couple of months and toys they wouldn't even need for months.

The room was painted and decorated and furnished.

"We still need to pack your hospital bag," Emma said. "And I know you're going to hold off on that until we have to leave and then it's too late."

"I'll still have my magic—I can just magic over some clothes." Regina smirked when Emma flushed. "But if you want to waste away an afternoon at home with me—I—I would like that actually." She softened and Emma smiled brightly.

"That's settled then." Emma inclined her head and Henry rolled his eyes. "What?"

"You guys get sappier every day, it's gross."

"Hey," Emma said.

"Henry," Regina scolded at the same time.

Henry grinned before he slipped off the bar stool and handed Emma his empty bowl. She glanced at it before she looked up at him.

"I have school—Mom is on maternity leave and you—I don't know, you are on paternity leave?"

"No," Emma said but then frowned. "I don't know, I—do I get time off to help with the baby?" She asked Regina.

"Don't be absurd, of course you get time off," Regina replied quickly. She would _need_ the help and even if she didn't, she _wanted_ Emma with her at least during the first couple of weeks.

"Good. I didn't even think about that before—but good." Emma hummed and Henry rolled his eyes again. This time neither of them reprimanded him and he hurried out of the kitchen before they could change their minds.

"You should get ready—I'm sure whoever's at the station now would be happy to go home to sleep." Regina ran her hand up and down Emma's arm and smiled. "We will talk about your leave when you get home—you'll need to make sure David or Mulan know you won't be there for a while."

"Oh, right." Emma grimaced. "I didn't even think of that. Small towns are different."

Regina laughed softly. "Everyone depends on you, even me. But—I can give you the form to fill in and you can approve your own leave, and then David and Mulan can handle the rest."

"I don't think it'll be that easy though—I should have thought about this sooner." Emma sighed.

All Regina could do was agree, but she hadn't thought about it either. She'd thought—because Emma had never even brought it up—that she didn't _want_ to have leave after the baby was born.

"It's never too late in Storybrooke. Everything will just fix itself, darling," she said instead and Emma huffed out a laugh. "Now go get ready, I will get you the form."

—SQ—

By the time they were all ready to leave, Henry had to rush. Regina pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"You can have some time off when the baby is born too, if you want." She knew he wouldn't _want_ it, but she felt the need to offer it to him anyway.

"That's okay," Henry grinned and kissed both their cheeks before he hurried out the door.

Emma sighed and then turned to Regina. "Why are you all dressed and ready to go?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "I am going to get the form for you—which is at the office. I can drop it off at the station and then walk home."

"Are you sure that's—I mean, that's a lot of walking." Emma narrowed her eyes and looked up at the sky, before she turned back to Regina. "I could always drop you off when you're done."

"I'll call if I need it? I just need the exercise and I haven't been able to do anything lately."

And it felt wrong to sit still and put her feet up when everyone around her rushed to make her happy. Which was a far cry from how she'd felt as Queen—reveling in the way everyone wanted to do things for her.

Even though the reason for their compliance was that they were were probably too scared to say no.

Emma watched her for a moment and then nodded her head. "Okay—okay, I get it."

They got into the cruiser and Emma dropped Regina off at Town Hall, her face set with a worried frown.

"Emma, I'll be okay. I can still walk—even at eight and a half months. Don't worry so much."

Emma huffed. "Brittany said you had to start taking it easy—you worked until last week and you kept saying you had backaches and stomachaches."

"And I did stop working, and I'm feeling much better." Regina didn't tell Emma that her back ached at that moment because she didn't want to give Emma more proof that she really _did_ need to take it easy.

"Okay—go to Granny's for a snack before you walk back home. You really should eat more."

Regina rolled her eyes. This seemed to be a new normal—Emma was worried about her.

She understood why. She knew that because she had been worried before Emma had started to get worried.

"Alright."

She hadn't been hungry. She knew the baby was making sure that she felt _full_ with just a couple of bites, and if she ate more, she'd feel queasy all day.

Emma blinked in surprise. "That was easier than I expected."

"I understand your worries, Emma. I know I had those cramps this morning because I've been neglecting to drink enough and I will make sure to pay more attention to it." She sighed and turned to Emma again. "But I _can_ take care of myself—I've been doing it for longer than you've been alive."

"Oh," Emma breathed out. She got out of the cruiser then, and rushed around the car to help Regina. She held Regina's hand longer than needed and squeezed. "I know you can take care of yourself and that you don't _need_ me."

"I need you," Regina huffed when she realized that maybe she'd hurt Emma with her words.

"You need me now, to help get out of the car, but you don't _need_ me to take care of you like—like Henry night need it. I'm sorry."

"No." Regina shook her head and cupped Emma's cheek. "No, I might not _need_ you to take care of me, but I _want_ it."

She cursed her hormones when she felt the tears burn in her eyes and Emma smiled before she leaned into Regina's hand.

"Okay."

"I feel like I've been complaining about everything lately, and I'm so sorry," she murmured, ignoring Emma. "I should—I have never had trouble with expressing myself when I'm angry, but I'm uncomfortable."

"I know."

"And then she keeps kicking me and I just—I don't even know how to sleep anymore."

"Regina," Emma murmured as she pulled her closer. "I know, and I understand. I'm sorry, I wish I could take away some of that uncomfortable feeling."

Regina breathed as deeply as she could and leaned into Emma's embrace. She closed her eyes, her own arms wrapping around Emma's waist.

"Thank you."

"Call me if you need me to take you home, okay?" Emma pressed a kiss to Regina's temple and squeezed her arms around her for a second before she pulled back. "You're right, a walk is good for you, but if you don't feel up to it, I'm here."

"Alright, darling." Regina inclined her head and Emma smiled again before they both went their separate ways. Emma walked to the station, and Regina waddled into Town Hall.

Snow was there, sitting behind the desk as she worked on the paperwork that was stacked in front of her.

Regina could hear her sigh, then mutter something unintelligible before she looked up in frustration.

Only to spot Regina standing there with a grin.

"What are you doing here?" She asked as she stood to her feet. "Come sit."

"I'm actually here to grab a form for Emma—she decided she wanted maternity leave after the baby is born," she said as she let Snow lead her to her chair.

"I'll get it." Snow bobbed her head and glanced around the office for a moment, before she jumped and made her way to the file cabinet.

"It would be funny—" Regina started, but then she winced when the cramp started in her back again. This time it moved forward and she held her breath as she held her hand tightly against her belly.

"Regina?"

"I'm fine," she forced herself to keep her voice soft, and then blew out a breath. "It's fine, I just haven't been drinking enough water, and it's finally catching up."

Snow moved around and then handed Regina a bottle of water. "Drink, then. Emma will never look at me the same if I let something happen to you."

Regina took a couple of gulps of water before she leaned back and gritted her teeth. The pain wasn't bad, not by a long shot. She'd gone through worse—it just kept surprising her.

"It's not even a bad pain—it just—it's unexpected." Regina glanced up at Snow, and saw the question in her eyes.

"When is your next appointment?" Snow asked and Regina was absolutely sure that that wasn't what she wanted to know.

"Tomorrow," Regina replied. "I'm fine, there is nothing wrong with the baby. She keeps reaching out with her magic and she's still kicking."

She rubbed her belly as panic started to rise in her chest and Snow moved quickly.

"Oh! No, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with you or the baby," she tried, her voice high.

"I know," Regina murmured. "I'm worried, but I really am trying to keep a level head." She rubbed her belly again and sighed.

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. You can definitely ask your doctor tomorrow, right?" Snow asked and Regina frowned again. What did Snow think was going on?

"Snow, stop freaking me out." Regina blinked quickly and stood to her feet. "This is already terrifying enough, with my past experiences, and you're only making it worse."

"I don't mean to!" Snow moved away again, hands held up. "I'm just saying _if_ you're worried, you can always talk to your doctor."

Regina huffed, and the muscles in her jaw worked as she clenched and unclenched it.

"I'm going to grab the file, and bring it over to Emma. I just—" she moved around Snow and quickly made her way to one of the drawers of the file cabinet. "—I'll be out of your hair."

"Regina," Snow murmured as she turned around to face her again. When Regina straightened and then arched her back, Snow moved forward and helped her by putting a hand on her back. "You know I've been through this twice, I can help."

"What would you do, Snow? Will you carry your granddaughter to term? I'm sure there's a spell somewhere," Regina huffed out a laugh at the terrified expression on the pixie haired woman. "Don't be an idiot. You can't do anything to help."

"I can do this," Snow said smugly before she pressed her knuckles in such a way against Regina's back and took away the pain.

"Since when do you have magic?" Regina asked as a joke. She breathed a sigh of relief, and leaned into Snow. "Can you show Emma how to do this?"

"Of course," Snow whispered. Regina knew she should start walking, especially if she wanted to be home before Emma so she could at least pack her bag.

"I should really go." Her voice was soft and she knew she was giving away more than she ever wanted. She felt herself relax against Snow. "Teach Emma, I'll tell her to stop by after work."

"Okay." Snow slowly pulled back and Regina moaned when slowly, the pain returned. It was followed soon after by another spasm in her back and she huffed out a breath. "You really need to drink more if it happens this often."

"I will—it only started today and I've been trying to be better," Regina replied, just a little annoyed. "I'll see you this weekend—we're still on for dinner on Saturday right?"

They had planned a family dinner on Saturday—the last one before the baby was born, one where they could focus the most on Henry and Leopold before baby girl Swan-Mills was born.

"Of course," Snow frowned before she ushered Regina toward the door. "Now go. Spend the day relaxing, and don't forget to drink enough water."

She rolled her eyes but smiled before she exited the office. She _would_ spend the day relaxing.

> —SQ—

Her body seemed to think differently.

She took a deep breath as she leaned against the lamp post, the cramps back. She took another deep breath and rubbed her belly, surprised to feel it harder than it had been.

When the cramp faded, she sighed in relief and took a couple of moments to catch her breath before she continued walking.

When she got home, she did take a moment to sit down, and relax with her feet up. She didn't remember the last time she'd taken the time to sit and just do nothing.

Before she knew it, she'd fallen asleep.

She woke up to a tightening in her belly, she she grunted before she shifted. She couldn't find a comfortable position, and when she stood to her feet, the tightening seemed to lessen.

She sighed, and then made her way up the stairs. Emma had been right—she needed to pack a bag for the hospital.

She went through her day, her back cramping up to the point where it started to hurt sometimes, her belly tightening. She ached, and she wished Snow could be there to work her magic.

But soon after she'd thought about calling Snow, Emma walked into the mansion with a grin on her face.

"Guess what?" She asked, and before Regina could answer, she went on. "The sheriff approved my request for paternity leave, or maternity leave, so I'll be home with you once our baby girl is born."

"That's great, darling," Regina breathed out and then rubbed a hand over her belly. "Where's Henry?"

Emma narrowed her eyes. "He's still in school, Regina." She stepped closer and Regina looked up, her eyes heavy lidded. She was exhausted and the pain in her back didn't let on. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she replied, too quickly. She inhaled slowly and exhaled sharply. "I'm okay. I have a constant pain in my back, and I know it's only been a day but I wish my body would catch up."

"Okay, Mom came over to show me how to take the pain away," Emma said, unsure of what was happening. "Maybe we should call Britt though."

"I have an appointment tomorrow," Regina replied. "I can ask her then." She leaned against Emma as the blonde stepped closer, and she sighed.

"Why don't you go and take a nap?"

"I did, earlier." Regina shifted and hummed in approval when Emma started slowly pressing into her back. "I packed a bag. I'm ready for her to be here."

"Me too. Just a little longer, and she'll be in our arms." Emma swayed a little, and Regina closed her eyes as she enjoyed the feeling of Emma's hand on her back, pressing at the right place to help her relax.

She was using magic, too.

"I feel like—I have the feeling that it's going to be sooner rather than later, though," Regina said when suddenly, it dawned on her.

The questioning look on Snow's face.

The tightening in her belly.

The cramps in her back.

She rolled her eyes at her own inadequacy.

"What do you mean?" Emma asked softly.

She pulled back enough to be able to watch Emma. "I think I'm in labor—I think I've been in labor all day."


	18. Chapter 18

Regina felt calmer than she had expected, when she realized that she could have been having contractions all day.

Within moments she had her phone against her ear, waiting for Brittany to pick up. When she did, Regina was still calm. It was more than a surprise that she wasn't in a panic, considering.

Emma, however, seemed to be inwardly panicking, judging by the speed of her heartbeat against Regina's other ear.

"I think I'm in labor," she explained as she pulled out of Emma's arms. "I didn't realize—I thought I wasn't drinking enough water."

Brittany hummed. "What are you feeling?"

"My back has been hurting all day, and this morning I woke up to what felt like a spasm." She narrowed her eyes but couldn't remember the time she'd woken up. It had been early, that much she was sure of. Emma hadn't been awake, but Henry had surprised her by being up early. "It was before seven though."

"That could mean you have back contractions. It could also mean you really haven't been drinking enough water. When was the next one?"

"About half an hour later," Regina recalled. Emma had _just_ walked into the kitchen, bleary eyes from sleep. "I don't remember anything while I was getting dressed though."

So that meant that it had taken about two hours for the next contraction.

"If you want, I can see you right now—but if you're not having regular contractions there's nothing that I can do. When things change, I want you to call me again," Brittany said. "If you're in pain, move around or have Emma help with a massage. You know that baths help."

Regina hummed and closed her eyes. "So I'm not in labor yet?"

"You're not in _active_ labor, if you're contractions aren't regular. How long did it take for the next one?"

"I—after the second, it took two hours or so," Regina admitted. She was still nervous, and she still didn't know how to deal, but at least she wasn't alone. "I see—how long will this last?"

"It can last up to a week. It can stop completely, and you can still carry her around for a while—there's no way to say what's going to happen."

Regina puffed out a breath and then hummed.

"Thank you, Brittany. I will contact you if anything changes. If not, I'll see you tomorrow."

She turned to Emma after disconnecting the call and blinked quickly before she smiled.

"Well, let's just relax. Hey, we could take a nap together and we'll just—I don't know," Emma shrugged and then chuckled. "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do."

Regina took a moment to think on what she wanted before she inclined her head. "I think it's smart to take a nap now that I still can."

Emma squinted at her. "You know something I don't?"

"I know that I've been having pains all day and I also know that that means I could start going into active labor anytime." Regina lifted a brow. "It could just as well mean I'll be feeling these kinds of pains all week, but I'm optimistic."

Emma grinned as she moved closer again, and Regina could see the emotion in Emma's eyes before she spoke. "I can't wait to meet her."

"Me either, darling," she replied with a smile. "I can't believe that everything has been going so well." She rubbed her belly and blinked at the tears gathering in her eyes.

"I can. You're an amazingly strong woman and you've been doing everything you can to make sure our daughter is healthy and safe."

Emma wrapped her in a hug and they swayed together, enjoying the warmth they could offer each other. When Emma leaned forward and kissed Regina, there was no hesitation.

The kisses were slow and gentle, and calmed them both down considerably. Everything felt like it would be just fine as they kissed.

"I think a nap would be great." Regina leaned back a little. "Maybe you could ask your mother if she can pick Henry up from school so you don't have to worry about that."

"Great idea," Emma murmured before she pressed another kiss to Regina's lips. "Why don't you go and get settled, and I'll make sure that Henry is taken care of."

Regina found herself waddling up the stairs with a bright smile on her face, despite the ache in her back. She changed into something more comfortable, but made sure she still looked presentable.

She didn't know why that was important.

When she settled down into the bed, she shuddered and closed her eyes with pleasure as for a moment—without the pressure on her back—she was pain free.

And then the ache returned, followed by a cramp. She pressed her fingers against it and breathed deeply through her nose.

Inhale, exhale.

Emma joined her not long after the pain started and took over the pressure on her back, pressing into the pain just right. Regina moaned, and breathed through it before she turned onto her back and smiled at the blonde.

"It's not even that bad—it just feels so good to have a moment of respite." She turned back on her side, and hummed when Emma pressed herself against her back.

"Tell me when there's another one, I can help," Emma whispered, and Regina inclined her head as she closed her eyes. "I'm right here."

Emma's hand moved to Regina's belly and Regina held her own over Emma's. "I know."

—SQ—

Henry had opted to stay with David and Snow.

Regina was grateful for them, because she knew she didn't want to have to worry about him when they had to go to the hospital.

The cramps, or _contractions_ , started to become more regular. By the time that Regina had woken up, she'd had three according to Emma.

Which meant she could still sleep through the pain. Her body could handle a lot of pain, but she wondered how much it could take from labor.

Emma made them dinner—she still had the skills from the year they spent apart. She had insisted Regina took a day off from cooking and Regina had easily agreed.

The contractions started coming thirty minutes apart, and Emma called Brittany to make sure that everything was alright.

Regina breathed through her latest contraction, and Emma pressed her hand against her back as she spoke to the doctor.

"When they are five minutes apart, she wants us to come to the hospital." Emma said after she hung up, and then pulled Regina in her arms. "She said for you to relax as much as you can and to take a bath or something."

Regina hummed. "Baths help."

"Then let's draw you a bath," Emma murmured. "I feel so useless right now."

"You're not," Regina replied without missing a beat. "I don't think I could handle this on my own. I think—I think the fact that you're here helps me stay calm."

The bath helped soothe the pain in her back for a little while. Emma stayed close, but made sure she could take a moment to herself.

Time moved fast.

The contractions slowly sped up, moving closer together and becoming heavier and more painful, but still Regina could breathe through them easily.

"Fifteen minutes," Emma said as she glanced at her watch. "Do you want to watch a movie or something?"

Regina chuckled breathlessly. "If you want."

Emma shrugged, but grabbed the remote from the table and started flipping through channels. "I don't know what to do, Regina. I didn't have anything when I was in prison."

"Oh." Regina frowned as she bit her lip. "I didn't think of that—I'm sorry."

Emma huffed. "That's not why I said it. I just—I was brought to the hospital when labor started and I was alone through it all."

Regina blinked the tears away and leaned into Emma. She didn't _want_ pity or apologies, and Regina wouldn't give them anymore. But she could make sure that Emma knew she was thankful that she was there.

"I'm glad I have you," Regina murmured.

"Me too."

The movie helped guide her through the contractions for another two hours, but Regina could feel her body starting to hurt more than she'd expected.

"I didn't think it would take this long to get to five minutes," she huffed when another contraction faded. Emma had watched her belly the whole time, and Regina smiled at the awe on her face.

"Do you want to go?" Emma asked.

The contractions were still fifteen minutes apart.

"No. Brittany will send us back home if we show up now."

And they waited. Regina tried to sleep again, but when the contractions started speeding up again and becoming more painful, she gritted her teeth as she turned to Emma.

"Ready?" Emma asked with a gentle smile.

"More than ready." Regina breathed deeply through the pain and Emma hummed before she hurried up the stairs to get the hospital bag.

Regina waddled to the door and when Emma joined her outside, she handed her the keys to the Mercedes.

Emma halted, her eyes showing her surprise at this turn of events. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. You're not driving us to the hospital in that death trap." She would've laughed at the expression on Emma's face if she wasn't suddenly nervous.

When they arrived at the hospital, Regina was breathing hard and heavy as she thought about all the things could go wrong.

"Regina? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Regina husked. "I'm not even sure."

"Contraction or panic?"

"Panic."

Emma parked the car and quickly rounded it, helping Regina out of the car and pulling her into a tight embrace.

"Okay, we're at the hospital where they have all kinds of equipment to make sure that everything works out as it should, right?" Emma waited until Regina nodded before she continued. "Let's go inside and have them check you out."

"Okay," Regina breathed, and then inhaled slowly, exhaled slowly. "Okay, let's go inside."

—SQ—

"You're already in the transitional stage."

"What does that mean?" Emma asked. "Her water hasn't broken yet."

Brittany chuckled and Regina flushed. "It might have, earlier. I don't—I thought I had to pee but it wasn't a lot."

"We'll have to make sure that was your water breaking. In any case, you're eight centimeters dilated, which means you're almost there."

"How do you make sure that her water has broken?" Emma asked.

"Why are you so fixated on that?" Regina asked as her flush grew deeper. "I'm sure they know what to do here, Emma."

"I know," Emma grunted before she turned to Regina. "I know, I'm just nervous."

Regina could relate. "Why don't you go call your parents and tell them what's going on?"

She just needed a moment with her own nerves before she dealt with Emma's. When Emma left the room, Brittany took that moment alone with Regina to make sure her water had, indeed, broken.

"Usually, your water breaks before the transitional stage so I'm not worried that it hasn't happened yet." Brittany said as she pulled on a glove. She checked quickly and hummed in approval. "You're alright. Moving pretty quickly, so I'm positive you don't have to wait for too long to hold your daughter."

When Emma returned, Brittany left.

The contractions were painful now to the point where Regina grunted out as her belly tightened and rippled.

Something changed, when Regina felt the _need_ to bear down and push. Emma was there, always holding her hand and rubbing her back. She was always ready with ice chips and a wet rag for her forehead.

Regina flushed, though, when she realized that she felt like she had to go to the bathroom. "I uh—could you get Brittany?" She asked Emma.

Emma pressed the call button, and Regina rolled her eyes. "What? I'm not leaving your side for a second."

Regina smiled.

When Brittany examined Regina, she smiled brightly. "Well, you are ready to push—ten centimeters dilated. I'm going to scrub and then, the next contraction, we'll start getting this baby out."

"Does Henry know?" Regina asked when Brittany left the room.

Emma glanced over, a brow raised. "Of course he does—I told my Mom and she told the whole town." She frowned. " _Probably_."

Regina huffed out a laugh and then gasped when another contraction hit. Brittany wasn't there yet, which meant she still needed to wait.

She breathed through it and regretted declining drugs to help her cope.

"Do you think they're here?" She asked after it had faded away and Emma nodded. "Good. I want Henry to be one of the first to hold her."

"After you," Emma said with a smile.

"And you."

"Are you ready, Regina?" Brittany asked as she walked back into the suite.

Regina huffed. "More than ready."

The following hour was filled with a blurry pain, as she pushed and pushed on every contraction, her body hardly having time to recover as they came every two minutes.

Emma was a godsend, holding her when she needed it and comforting her when she felt like she wasn't strong enough.

"She's almost there," Brittany said softly, when Regina had a moment to breath. "Just a couple more, and you'll have your daughter in your arms."

"Okay," Regina husked, her throat tight. "Good, because—" another contraction cut her off and she pushed, grunting out as she bore down. When her body relaxed again, she closed her eyes. "I'm ready for her."

Tears rolled down her cheeks, and Emma leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her temple.

"You're doing amazing, Regina."

It took another thirty minutes, and a whole lot of cursing from both Regina _and_ Emma, but after the last push, Regina breathed heavily and a piercing cry was heard.

And then there was nothing but love.

—SQ—

Regina blinked away the tears as she watched Emma hold their daughter.

There was a softness to Emma that Regina had never seen before and it made her throat tighten and her eyes burn with tears.

"She's gorgeous, Regina," Emma murmured softly as she moved closer. Regina hummed in agreement as she watched them.

Emma slowly sat down next to Regina, and gently placed the baby in Regina's arms. They had cleaned her as best as they could, and Regina cleared her throat and then swallowed thickly as she held her daughter for the first time.

"She's perfect."

The soft hairs on her head were dark, and her skin had the same olive tint to it as Regina's.

"Ten toes, ten fingers," Emma hummed and Regina looked up with a grin. Her emotions were running rampant inside her body and the only thing she could focus on, was Emma and the baby. "Are you ready to show her to the family?"

"Yes," Regina blinked and looked down at the baby, watching the way her mouth moved a little and her eyes moved behind her lids.

"I'll go get them."

When Emma left the room, and Regina was alone, she smiled and pressed a kiss to the soft hair on the baby's head.

"You're going to be so much trouble," she murmured and chuckled when suddenly, pink magic surrounded them. "That's exactly what I was referring to."

The door opened, and Emma walked in with Henry in tow. "My parents decided to wait a moment so that we had a moment with just Henry."

The pink magic reached out to them and Henry grinned as he moved closer. "She's going to cause so much trouble," he repeated Regina's words. He glanced between the two of them. "Have you chosen a name yet?"

Regina looked up at Emma, the question on her lips. But Emma simply smiled and inclined her head.

"Ava Swan-Mills," she murmured as she glanced between Henry and Ava. "I've held on to her name for so long, I've called her that from the moment we found out she was going to be a she."

"It's perfect." Henry moved closer still.

"Do you want to hold her?" Regina asked softly. When Henry hesitated, she smiled. "You know you won't break her—you held your uncle when he was just a day old."

"But he's a boy," Henry countered.

"Ava will be fine, kid," Emma interjected. She gently took Ava from Regina's arms and handed her to Henry. "Just like Leo, support her head and make sure you hold her tightly, but not too tight."

Henry sat down on the chair and stared silently at Ava for a while. Neither Emma nor Regina felt the need to say anything, content to simply watch the siblings together.

And then Henry spoke softly.

"I know you know who I am, because we've been connecting ever since you could use your magic," he whispered. He used his free hand to slowly caress her little cheek, and pink magic surrounded the two. "I just want you to know that, as your big brother, I'll always be there for you. I'll protect you, and I'll make sure you're happy."

Regina swallowed thickly and reached out to grab Emma's hand. Tears streamed down her cheeks, even as she was smiling.

Emma cleared her throat. "That's right, kid. We'll keep her safe and happy."

Henry looked up, his own eyes wet as he nodded. "See? We're a team—the four of us. And nothing will _ever_ change that."

—SQ—

Regina couldn't stop staring at Ava. She laid in the crib next to her bed, and she was sleeping peacefully.

Henry sat in the chair next to her, his eyes closed. Emma had left the room to talk to her parents, and all Regina could do was stare at Ava.

The door opened, and Regina turned her head to see who dared to enter.

"I hear her name is Ava," Brittany said with a soft smile as she moved into the room. She looked at the baby for a second before she turned back to Regina. "You did great, mom."

Regina flushed. "Thank you."

"It went surprisingly well, and her APGAR scores show that she's perfectly healthy," Brittany told her, and Regina inclined her head as she turned back to Ava. "I want you to stay the night—what's left of it—and I'll make sure you can go home in the morning."

"That sounds perfect," Regina replied. "I'm glad that everything is okay."

"Everything is more than okay, Regina. You finally have what you've always wished for."

Regina glanced up and then turned to Henry, who was staring at her with a flush to his cheeks. She smiled at him and he gave a shaky smile in return.

"I already had everything I wished for—Ava is my baby just as much as Henry is." She turned back to Brittany. "Both of them fill a hole in my heart that was there for them to fill."

"Beautifully said," Brittany replied with a flush of her own. She glanced at Henry. "You'll be a great big brother, from what I've heard."

"Of course," Henry husked. "I'll protect her with my life." He rubbed his eyes and stood to his feet, drawn to Ava as everyone else seemed to be.

Brittany turned toward Regina again. "Once again, congratulations on your beautiful baby girl."

After Brittany closed the door behind her, Regina turned to Henry. He glanced up when she cleared her throat, and she swallowed thickly as she tried to think of what she wanted to say.

"I love you, my little prince," she murmured and he smiled. "I don't ever want you to feel like you come second to Ava, okay?"

"I know," he whispered before he moved toward her. "Love you too mom."

Emma returned alone. "They went home—they wanted to give you some time to recover. Which means mom will be at the mansion tomorrow when you get home."

Regina smiled—nothing could bring her down.

"I love you, Emma."

Emma grinned and glanced at Henry, who simply shrugged. When she turned back to Regina, her smile softened.

"I love you too, Regina."


	19. Chapter 19

_Emma kissed the stretch marks on her body with practiced ease, her mouth hot on Regina's skin._

_She swallowed thickly when Emma's hot breath ghosted over her core, and her body reacted. Her core throbbed with need and she arched her back, but Emma held her down and smiled up as she moved back up Regina's body._

" _These dreams only seem to come when we're not having sex," she murmured between kisses and if Regina was a better person, she'd worry about it more than she did._

 _She wanted more. "Emma," she breathed, a plea in her voice. She wanted_ so _much more._

_Emma kissed her then, deep and passionately. Regina responded in kind, enjoying everything that Emma wanted her to feel and loving every minute of it._

_Emma pulled back, both breathing heavily and she looked up, listening for something. "I don't hear anything."_

" _There's nothing to hear," Regina replied before she pulled Emma to the bed and reversed the roles, as she pressed hot kisses down Emma's body._

_She focused on the old stretch marks on Emma's body and smirked when Emma arched her back, like she had done earlier._

_Emma's dick pressed against her, hard and hit and she could feel her clit throb in response._

_Her hand moved, her fingers wrapping around Emma's cock, moving in a slow but steady way as she stimulated her._

_Emma bucked in her hand and Regina glanced up, her eyes dark with need and desire. When Emma looked down, Regina saw the same in her eyes._

_She moved back up Emma's body and pressed herself against Emma. "We should try this someday, without the kids at home."_

_Emma hummed but then pulled Regina up, kissing her hard. She pulled back only to say, "I want to you to ride me and forget about the kids for just tonight."_

_Regina straddled Emma's hips, rolling her own as Emma's dick throbbed against her folds._

" _I think I can do that," she murmured breathlessly. She moved a little more and both shuddered when Emma's tip slipped through her folds and pushed against her clit._

" _God, Regina," Emma breathed and bucked her hips again, before she shuddered again. "I need you."_

_Regina lifted her hips and Emma positioned herself so that Regina could take her in, and when she did both moaned out in pleasure._

_Neither moved for a moment, just enjoying the fact that they were connected. When Regina's magic reached out, she started and clenched around Emma._

_Emma made a sound, and then her own magic reached out and laced with Regina's—a soft yellow with lilac—and she chuckled._

" _You're magic is so used to reaching out, it even does it with me now," Emma murmured and Regina narrowed her eyes. "What?"_

" _There's more to this," she replied softly before she rolled her hips, and Emma cried out. "I'll have to look it up when we wake."_

_She found a steady rhythm, and Emma's hips bucked up to meet her in her thrusts soon after. There was something to say about the sex like this—it was more than perfect._

_Regina loved the fact that they could join each other in their dreams, even though she still wondered the reason._

_But as she moved, and she could feel the heat building in her belly, she didn't think about dreams and the why of it._

" _So close," Emma huffed out as she grabbed Regina's hip with one hand and moved her other down to her clit. When she started her own rhythm, Regina could hardly keep her own._

_It didn't take long for Regina to clench around Emma, her back arched as her orgasm slammed into her and she cried out. Emma pounded her hips up, but as Regina came down, she rolled them over._

" _Emma," Regina exclaimed in surprise before Emma slammed her hips forward and started pounding into her relentlessly._

_She brought Regina to a second orgasm, blinding and harsh as she worked herself up to her own orgasm. Regina could feel it coming—there was a tightening in her own belly again as Emma's orgasm built._

_And built._

_And suddenly it washed over them both, their magic lacing even tighter together and around them. It was intense, it was mind blowing and Regina was sure that Emma felt the same way as she blinked, unable to see as her vision was spotted with stars in the dark._

_When Emma collapsed, she did her best not to smother Regina._

_For a while, there was only breathing, and Emma jerked when Regina waved her hand and undid the spell. She wasn't even sure when she cast it, but that really didn't matter._

_She felt boneless, sated in a way she wasn't sure she'd ever felt before._

" _That was interesting."_

_Regina huffed breathlessly. "Indeed it was."_

When she woke up, Emma was pressed into her back and she smiled. She bit her lip when she realized _how_ sated she was, as fluids dripped out of her.

Emma hummed, and then cleared her throat.

"Did that really happen?" She asked, and then moaned as she moved her legs. "Oh, that really happened."

"It did indeed," Regina replied as she rolled on her back. She waved her hand over their thighs and cleaned them both up with a little bit of her magic.

It was only then that she noticed that the magic that had been lacing together in their dream, was doing the same in their waking world. Regina took a moment to watch it, and then Emma followed her gaze and joined her in staring at their magic.

"What do you think it means? This happens between Ava and you too right?"

Regina hummed, her heart jumping at the mention of their daughter.

Ava was six weeks old, and they had been having some trouble adjusting to taking care of a baby with magic. While Regina could _always_ feel Ava, sometimes Ava seemed to be playing games with her magic.

Rattles disappeared.

"I think it's—I have the feeling this has to do with the connection—the love." It was then that Ava started crying. Emma moved, but Regina stopped her. "I'll go. It's time for a feeding anyway."

And within moments she had gotten out of bed, moved toward Ava's room, and had her in her arms. Ava quieted down for a moment, their magic interlacing and twisting around each other, and Regina hummed.

She moved toward the rocking chair, and settled in before she settled Ava.

"You just need to eat, don't you?" Regina murmured and Ava opened her eyes again, her eyes bright.

Her eyes were the same green that Emma's eyes were, and Regina hoped that they wouldn't change too much. Ava would be a heartbreaker.

Just like Henry.

Regina grinned as she settled Ava and she started suckling without any trouble. It had been different—in the beginning. Ava had had trouble latching on, and Regina had been near crying when a nurse walked in and showed her the way to go.

A sound pulled her out of her thoughts and she looked up just in time to see Henry move past the room.

And then Emma appeared, a soft smile on her face. "I'll go fix us some breakfast."

"That would be great," Regina replied when her stomach rumbled. "I never expected breastfeeding could make me feel like a bottomless pit."

Emma laughed softly, moving closer for a moment, and pressing a gentle kiss to Ava's hair.

"I'm enjoying every stage of this," she murmured as she glanced up at Regina. "I love watching you with her."

Regina smiled, her chest tightening with all the love that surrounded them. "I love watching you with her too."

Emma smiled and then stood to her feet again. "Come join us for breakfast when you're ready, okay? I'll make sure there's enough for you."

"Thank you." Regina returned the smile and Emma left them again, her magic reluctant to leave as it laced with theirs.

When Ava was done nursing, Regina changed her diaper and made her way downstairs, smiling as she heard Emma and Henry talk in the kitchen.

She was still in awe at her own happiness most of the time. She loved her life and she never expected that to happen after Daniel had been so cruely taken from her.

Everything seemed to have fallen into place.

"Good morning," she greeted two of her favorite people. "Sweetheart." She kissed Henry's cheek and handed him Ava. "Take your sister for a moment."

"Anytime," he grinned and started dancing around the kitchen with his sister. Regina breathed in deeply as love threatened to overwhelm her again.

She was still hormonal and according to everyone around her, that wouldn't change anytime soon.

Henry had gotten comfortable carrying around Ava. He enjoyed spending time with her and talking to her about what had happened in his life.

"I'm famished." Regina rubbed her stomach and smiled when Emma handed her a plate filled with breakfast foods. "Thank you, darling."

Emma joined her at the breakfast bar and while Regina ate, they watched Henry move around the kitchen.

"I never expected him to be this comfortable with her. I always thought he'd be as clumsy as I am," Emma said as Henry lifted Ava onto his other arm.

"You're great with her—you're not clumsy at all." Regina took another bite before she continued. "I have to admit that I didn't know how he'd be with her. Not until he first held her and promised to protect her and keep her happy." Her throat tightened at the memory.

"That was awesome," Emma replied with a nod and then turned to look at Regina. "We have an awesome family, Regina."

"We belong," Regina added and Emma smiled. There was a softness that she'd never had before—an acceptance of her life.

"We belong," Emma echoed. "We'll always have each other. You won't ever be alone again, and neither will I."

"Are you happy?"

Emma sobered. "I am happy. I—sometimes I feel like my heart is going to burst with happiness and love."

Regina hummed. "Me too. Today is one of those days—it just seems to be a perfect one."

"Ma—I think Ava pooped." Henry grimaced as he moved closer and Emma jumped up. They moved as if they'd done this more than once and Regina watched, amused, as Henry lifted Ava so that Emma could sniff.

They probably had done it enough times for it to seem normal.

"Yep, she pooped," Emma made a face and then took Ava from Henry. "I'll be right back."

Regina turned back to her breakfast and Henry joined her, leaning his shoulder against hers.

"There hasn't been a moment that I don't regret forcing you to stop using magic," Henry murmured and Regina started, surprise rushing through her body. "I'm sorry for making you feel like you had to stop magic to make me love you."

Regina glanced down at her empty plate before she swallowed her last bite, and then she turned toward Henry.

"I love you, Henry. I will never stop loving you, and I know you still don't like magic, but I also know you'd do anything for Ava." Regina took his hand. "I never doubted you had stopped loving me, sweetheart."

"Good," he breathed. "Good, because I love you. And I know I don't say it enough, but I never want you to doubt it."

"And I won't. We moved passed this—what brought this up?" She asked him, still frowning in confusion.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Ava's magic, maybe? I love her just the same as I would if she wouldn't have magic, and it got me thinking. I really did treat you badly."

"Let's—let's forget about that and just move on, okay? I know—I know we've been through a lot with the curse and everything, and I just want you to be a happy boy, I want you to grow up happy."

"Okay," Henry said as he leaned his head against hers. "We'll all be happy."

"We'll all be happy."

Regina pulled him into her arms, and her magic wrapped around them. She still didn't know why, all of a sudden, it felt like doing that even after all her years using it.

But she didn't need to know the true reason.

She had love in her life now, and her magic had changed from dark to a grey tone. There was no way that it was reaching out because of a dark reason.

Emma moved into the kitchen with a freshly cleaned Ava, and Regina smiled as she closed her eyes against the overwhelming love she felt.

She was happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is it. I hope you enjoyed, the way I enjoyed writing this. Thanks for reading.


End file.
